


14 days

by mylesowahudson



Series: Counting days [1]
Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety Attacks, Falling In Love, First time for everything, Fix-It, Friendship/Love, Happy Ending, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, Minor Violence, Money Heist, Pining, Romance, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:14:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 76,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23811403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mylesowahudson/pseuds/mylesowahudson
Summary: After the best kiss of Martín's life and at the same time the worst heartbreak, he decides to give this one last chance. 14 days - is it going to be enough to go from friends to lovers? Is it that easy or maybe there's more to the story? How many times do you need to fall before you finally reach your destiny?
Relationships: Berlin | Andrés de Fonollosa & Palermo | Martín Berrote, Berlin | Andrés de Fonollosa/Palermo | Martín Berrote
Series: Counting days [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1747693
Comments: 482
Kudos: 604





	1. This one will be a different story

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is my first work for this fandom, I hope you enjoy. Of course THIS ship, I love them with my whole heart. This is post-season 4 and The Kiss Scene which I'm giving a continuation (hopefully the boys do this right!) Excuse any mistakes, English isn't my native language and I'm my own beta

That kiss was the best and the most horrible thing that has ever happened to Martín in his entire life. While it lasted it was a dream come true, seriously, how can someone be so good at kissing? But then when it ended… He thought that getting shot was the worst pain one could feel, but no. Rejection hurt so much more

“Wait” he didn’t even realize he said it out loud. Andrés stopped in the door and turned around, his hat laying some shade on his face. He just told him they need to part ways, like, what else could be said?

“Hm?”

Now what, Martín? Geez, he didn’t even have a plan, the only thing on his mind was doing something, anything, to get yet another chance

“You said you couldn’t love me this way…” he began, his pulse racing so loud Andrés probably could hear it “I’m going to prove you wrong” Palermo’s heart was about to bounce out of his chest but he was sure of his words. It was now or never

“Martín…”

“No, listen” he stepped forward, closing the space between Andrés and himself “Let’s make a deal”

Berlin was looking down at him with this soft smile of his, no specific emotion on his face whatsoever

“Give me 14 days and I’ll make you fall in love with me” Martín spat out, feeling his palms getting very sweaty. His best friend laughed, tilting his head back

“Yes, yes, Martín… As I said, you like me too much”

“If…” Palermo continued “If I succeed, I win the prize”

“What’s the prize? “

“Well, I think it’s obvious, if you fall for me, I will be given the remarkable chance and opportunity to spend my life with you being more than just my friend... And if you win… I will never make a move on you again. None”

“Interesting” Andrés was unreadable, you couldn’t say if he was excited about the idea, mad, awkward… Well, Palermo was about to break this façade “When do you start?”

“Tomorrow” he touched Berlin’s face

“Rules?”

“Do we need them?” now they were both smirking and Berlin pulled his friend close, as close as during that amazing kiss from a moment ago 

“You’re not allowed to try anything sexual besides kissing” Andrés breathed on Martín’s face, his smile making Palermo’s knees weak “Meaning we do not get undressed, whatsoever”

“Deal. But I have a request too. You give Tatiana a break during this time”

“What challenge would it be then?” Andrés laughed quietly “No, Martín. Get ready and work with what you have. Show me you’re not a coward”

“We will see” Martín watched his crush walk towards the door and leave the room. Only when Berlin was gone, he fell heavily onto the nearest chair and gasped loudly

“Fuck” he whispered, burying his face in his hands “I’m fucked” that was definitely not the plan, but to be honest, the whole situation here was not and now Martín had whole fourteen days to do cute things to his best friend and maybe… just maybe… make him love Martín. Andrés didn’t love Tatiana, please, it was the same like previous four times – quick, wild, ending with Berlin’s heartbreak. He knew it very well and even had a list of things to do when that would happen. This time would be totally different because his goal wasn’t to cheer Andrés up but to make him fall in love. That required more thinking than any heist he could ever imagine.

He didn’t sleep much that night so when he went for breakfast outside, he looked like a ghost. His night was pretty adventurous – half of it he spent crying over his broken heart and the other on planning his mission. Berlin looked chic as usual, dark suit, hair combed, smelling amazing with his favorite cologne. Tatiana was sitting next to him, her whole attention on her husband-to-be. Ugh. It wasn’t cute at all. Palermo approached the couple and leaned over Andrés, putting his hands on his arms and massaging gently “Sergio’s still sleeping?”

“Apparently” Tatiana shrugged “You look sick, are you alright?”

“Yeah” he brought a smile onto his face, trying not to think about The Kiss “Didn’t sleep very well” his hands continued and he felt Berlin’s muscles softening. God, he wanted that man so much… It would be easier if he could bring the ‘adult stuff’ into this challenge, that would make things go way smoother “Anyway, do you have plans later on? I need Andrés for couple hours”

“I’m free the whole day, Tatiana’s seeing her bridesmaids” Berlin’s voice was low and you could hear he was smiling 

“Good. Meet me in the classroom after lunch” that’s how they called the room with all the plans and stuff for the heists. He leaned to whisper into Andrés’ ear “I have something for you”

“Good morning” they heard Sergio walking from the monastery “Excuse me for being late, I haven’t had the best night”

“Martín as well” his brother nodded, smiling “Let’s eat, dear friends and family, we don’t have the whole day”

There was no time to waste so Martín decided to do some more caressing and teasing while he still had the courage. He found his best friend’s leg under the table and slowly touched it with his foot. He caught Andrés’ questioning look but he only smiled, gently caressing his calf. He could feel Berlin tense for a moment, but then he relaxed and came back to eating his food, almost like he wasn’t noticing the movement. Well, fine. It was just the beginning.

He didn’t really have any plan, just some pieces that could be put together nicely if everything went the way it should. You never know with Berlin though. 

His best friend walked into the room and Martín felt the tingling on his lips almost immediately. Damn “Hey”

“Hello” he approached, provocatively close “So? We’re discussing some heist plans?”

“No” Martín scoffed, laughing nervously “No, actually I thought we could leave it all for couple of hours and go for a little trip”

“Hm” he nodded, waiting for more 

“Find yourself a helmet and be downstairs in ten minutes” Palermo walked towards the door but stopped suddenly right in front of Andrés, touched his face very gently and brushed his cheek with his lips. It wasn’t even a kiss, it was a very gently touch. He couldn’t tell if it affected his friend because Berlin was unreadable, as usual. Not for long now, hopefully.

They’ve never been on a motorcycle together before so Martín didn’t expect having Berlin behind was so exciting. It was also weird seeing him in a suit, motorcycle jacket and a helmet all at the same time. 

“Where are we going?” he asked, bringing his mouth to Palermo’s ear, causing him to almost have a heart attack

“Surprise!” he answered, started the engine and drove towards their destination. It could be very good or very awkward and he really hoped for the first option.

“Ice cream” Andrés had his brow so high Palermo was scared it was gonna escape his face and fly to some other planet.

“Yes, the best ones in Italy” he handed him a cone “Come on, don’t be a grumpy” he licked his ice-cream, trying to look as sexual as he could and it worked – Andrés laughed out loud, shaking his head 

“You’re so stupid, amigo” he grabbed Palermo’s elbow and locked it with his “Lead”

“How do you know it’s not the only thing for today?”

“Oh, please” he looked him in the eye and Martín was ready to call for a paramedic because he was surely having a mini heart-attack “I know you, you’re going all or nothing”

“True” he nodded “But I won’t tell you where we’re going but you’ve never been there before”

“So confident”

“Of course I am, we do everything together so I know” he was proud of it. They were walking slowly, enjoying the dessert and the sun. Martín could get used to this, for real, it was so easy to drown in this illusion of being with Andrés… Wow.

“Okay, you’re ready?” he asked, noticing how close to their destination they were

“I’m dying from suspicion, come on” he was of course being ironic but it didn’t put Martín off, he knew his friend too well.

“Close you eyes”

“Martín…”

“Close… oh, Jesus” Palermo put his hand on Andrés’ eyes, the other one he put on his arm “Slowly”

“Is it far?”

“Just a few more steps” 

“Good” Berlin’s hand squeezed on Martín’s arm for balance, making the other man melt once again this afternoon

“Okay, we’re here” Andrés opened his eyes and for the first time you could see shock on his face

“Wh… What is this?”

“This, mi amor” Martín smiled “Is a theater” they were inside a building shaped like a circle. The insides looked very luxurious, furniture red velvet, gold additives, foyer small but elegant “A private one”

“It’s beautiful” Berlin was clearly moved and it made Palermo’s heart flutter “Are we here for a play?”

“Musical” he corrected and smiled softly, seeing joy on his friend’s face “How does that sound?”

“I’m not dressed well enough…”

“You? You look gorgeous” Martín closed the distance between them and pulled out a black bowtie from his pocket “May I put it on you?”

“Yes, of course”

“Okay” he started tying it, smelling Andrés’ perfumes discreetly. His lips unintentionally parted a little and he felt the very familiar tingling “Very chic” he cleared his throat, aware of the weakness in his voice. Berlin was studying his face, inch by inch, his eyes squinting just a tiny bit. It was like the whole world stopped for couple seconds. 

“Gentlemen, it’s about to begin, may I ask you to take your seats?” some lady approached them with a nice smile. Palermo smiled, blushing a little and pulled out two tickets. She checked them and escorted them to the right room. It was really small, a stage and just a couple of rows, ten seats each. It was maybe ten, twelve people, not counting them, already sitting.

“What’s the deal with this?” Berlin whispered after they took their places

“It’s a private theater, if you’re friends with the owner you can come and see special plays, VIP ones, you know. This musical is limited to ten shows and we can see one of them” Palermo explained, putting his hand on Andrés’ knee “I thought you might like this”

He didn’t get an answer because the musical was just beginning. Martín gave them a couple of minutes before he slowly searched for Berlin’s hand. He locked their fingers and started caressing gently, trying not to die from happiness. Usually it was the point when he would be all over the guy, but Andrés… Andrés wasn’t just a typical, usual guy, he was so much more. Martín couldn’t blow it. Literally 

He wasn’t focusing at the play at all, he just allowed his fingers to let go of Andrés’ hand and just climb onto his arm, higher and higher, until they reached the back of his head. And then something magical happened.

As soon as Palermo started caressing his hair, Andrés gasped very softly and closed his eyes, tilting his head slightly back. Martín’s heart stopped and he bit his lip, watching him like he was the most beautiful thing in the entire universe. God, he was so in love with this man it hurt, physically. He was gentle and slow and Berlin’s “high” lasted only for couple of seconds but it was enough to make Martín the happiest man on Earth. Till the end of the musical he was either caressing his friend’s arm, drawing circles on his leg or just holding his hand, thanking whoever was listening upstairs for the best day of his entire life. When the show ended, the lights went off and people started moving around, talking, laughing. Martín stayed on his spot until dimmed lights from before were on and he could see again. Andrés was looking straight at him, breathing slowly and deeply, something in his eyes that Martín couldn’t really name yet

“What?” he whispered, smiling softly. Andrés looked away and shook his head “Did you like the musical?” Martín tried to make him more comfortable

“Yes. Very much, a piece of art truly” he answered, looking at Martín’s lips every other second

“You can kiss me, you know?” Palermo laughed softly, squeezing Berlin’s hand

“Why would I? 

“Because you already did once” he murmured, standing up and letting go of his hand “Let’s go, we’re the last ones”

It was incredible. This was day one and he already confused Berlin with his actions, if things go that well he has nothing to worry about. Now it all depends on Andrés.


	2. The mind of an artist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, thank you SO MUCH for all the sweet comments and kudos you're giving me, I'm sending you love straight from my Belermo heart <3 Here goes another chapter in which we find out who needs to gain more control over himself and why. Enjoy!

Andrés was an artist who thought in poetry and barely cursed since it wasn’t elegant. He wore expensive suits and hats, drank espresso in the morning and loved any type of art. He was a gentleman with a pistol, always docile to his and only his own rules and being very tenacious in following them. He considered himself a well put-together man whose remarkable self-control should be in the books as an example to follow. That’s why he couldn’t really get the whole situation that took place in the theater. There was a piece that escaped his mind and it was crucial to understand everything. The lack of knowledge was incapacitating and caused Berlín to be gloomy for couple of hours after they came back home from the trip.

Martín on the other hand felt like he was floating. He could still feel Andrés’ gaze on his lips and it was stinging, creeping down his neck, arms and chest and going straight to his heart. He could picture himself being the character from the _Bella Ciao _song, the young girl asking the partisan to take her with him__

__“ _O partigiano, portami via… O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao_ ”_ _

The situation from yesterday, both the kiss and what Andrés said later, made him feel weak. He never considered himself weak before, just the opposite, he was the resistance ready to fight for money and liberté in a red suit and Dalí mask. There was merely one issue - his mind liked to interfere with his heart, his reason with his desire. Who would have thought that could ever be an issue considering they have been friends for more than ten years and it never happened before. Not the falling in love part, no, he had to admit to being in love with Andrés since the beginning. It was the part where Andrés was kissing him and he was falling deeper and deeper until he was suffocating. The ideal situation would be Berlín reaching his hand and taking him back to the surface so he could breathe. That didn’t happen, so instead Martín had to hold onto something that could break any second. But to be honest, who wouldn’t want to spend their last days breathing wonderful, fresh air?

“ _O partigiano, portami via… Ché mi sento di morir_ ”

Because it was just like that with Andrés, he would throw him a bone and Martín would be the happiest man in the universe, even if that bone didn’t give him any chance of survival. He knew that the higher he goes, the harder he falls but… Remember the fight? Reason versus desire? If Martín had to bet, he would go all in for the latter. This is how it was with him. Everyone has this one flaw. Palermo was just hopelessly in love with his _hermanito_

__" _E se io muoio da partigiano… O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao. E se io muoio da partigiano, tu mi devi seppellir_ ” _ _

_____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He didn’t waste any time, never gave Andrés time for second-guessing. He called for him late at night and led him to the back door of the monastery. It was quiet and dark, stars on the sky looking like glitter particles that someone accidentally scattered over a dark blue fabric._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I’ve read that tonight there’s a possibility to see some shooting stars” he informed, leading his best friend to a blanket he prepared earlier. The monastery was located on the hill and in the back of it there was only a bit of space, couple meters forward and you had a huge precipice. The view was incredible and the whole scene was so damn romantic Martín wanted to cry._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“You take your own challenge really seriously” Andrés sat down, straightening his legs in front of himself_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I take _you_ very seriously” he answered before he had time to think. Instead of some weird, unpleasant scowl he expected, he was rewarded with the softest smile only Berlín could give him and he went totally boneless. If he had less of self-respect he would start mewling right now. He didn’t do that but following his instinct, he leaned forward to capture Berlín’s lips in a soft kiss, but his friend tilted his head slightly to the side and let out the tiniest puff of air, still smiling. ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Martín… You really think it’s that easy?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Right” he felt the blush creeping up his face while he moved away quickly “Sh-should we have some wine?” he tried to cover up his embarrassment by taking out the alcohol._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Gladly” Andrés smiled even wider, showing off his milky-white teeth and giving Martín heart palpitations._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Palermo poured two glasses and handed one to his friend, his hands shaking and tiny gasp escaping his lips when their fingers brushed_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Oh, Martín, _amigo_ … You need to control yourself better” Berlín shook his head, laughing softly___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“I’m in control of myself” he looked him in the eyes_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Is that so?” Andrés was clearly taunting Martín, probably checking how far he can push him before something happens. Martín would give up a lot of things not to feel so excited about the idea of being wrecked by Andrés which right now was very appealing. It was clearly poking the ‘desire’ part of him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Yes” it came out weaker than Palermo expected but it was still nothing in comparison to a moan that got out when Andrés leaned over and pressed him down onto the blanket so he was hovering above him_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“You think you’re the master of this game, don’t you?” Berlín took a sip of his wine, keeping his friend down and observing him with unreadable expression._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“It’s my ga-game, so yes”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“You may be the master… But I’m the guy who destroys everything with one move, without even trying. Do you know how I know that?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“N-No” Palermo almost forgot how to speak. Berlín let him sit back up and drank another sip, watching him intently._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Then watch” he placed his hand on Martín’s cheek and closed the space between them, almost linking their lips. Martín moaned softly, immediately opening up for a kiss “Now look at you, Martín” Andrés whispered and his breath on Palermo’s face made him dizzy “I broke you without even doing anything… No, no, no” he moved away slightly, escaping Martín who tried to chase him to finally make that kiss happen “You know when you can win this game? When you can make me break as easy as you do now”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Y-you said… kissing was allowed” he knew he sounded like a five-year-old but he couldn’t stop himself_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“If you do it in a classy way, not a desperate teenage boy way” Andrés moved away with a smile, sipping the wine_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“You say this wasn’t a classy attempt?” Palermo raised his brow, drinking as well_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Teenage boy on his first date ever”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Then show me how it’s supposed to be done” Martín’s eyes locked with Berlín’s and he felt a shiver going down his back. Risky. Risky as fuck, but worth trying._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Fine” suddenly Andrés’ hand was on his nape and his teeth gripped Martín’s lower lip, licking it gently with his tongue, pulling and biting again. He pushed away Palermo’s hand going onto his neck and whispered “Keep control”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Mmm” keep _what _?___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“If you don’t make a sound, I’ll kiss you properly” Berlín laughed quietly, knowing damn well it was a matter of seconds before he fails. Still, he gave his friend a chance, lowered him onto his back and licked his lower lip, slowly and gently. This wasn’t that intense to break Martín, but when Berlín pulled his hair and kissed his neck, he moaned out loud, biting his own lip and cursing in his mind when everything immediately stopped. He needed good thirty seconds to get a hold of himself. His friend was clearly amused, on his second wine glass already “Back with me?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“It’s unfair”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“What?” Berlín looked surprised, or just acted pretty well “I don’t understand what you’re talking about”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“You know how I react to you, you can’t manipulate me like that”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Oh, but I want to” Andrés answered and there was something dark and predatory in his eyes that made Martín’s body tense pleasantly in the right places “Nobody said I can’t play as well”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Then kiss me properly, coward”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Teenage boy on his first date, for real. Won’t fall for that”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Stop saying that” Palermo was getting irritated “Men love the way I act”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Boys”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“What?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Boys. Not men” Andrés was grinning now. He reached his hand to playfully caress Palermo’s cheek but his friend was already emotionally unstable so he gripped his wrist, tightly, and almost growled:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“What do you want?!” Berlín’s eyes slightly widened and he gasped, clearly taken aback. He bit his lip and sent Palermo the hottest look he ever experienced. _Oh, dear Lord I don’t believe in… _His whole body was screaming “kiss him finally” but his brain was telling him it was Palermo’s time to play. He let go of his friend and came back to his wine like nothing happened, observing Andrés intently___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“I want a lot of things” Berlín finally answered after a long moment of silence. Martín moved closer to him, making their arms brush gently “You know how I see the whole world like a one, beautiful poem?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Yes?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“So there are better and worse verses. I consider my life as it’s made out of only nice ones, well put together… I think of it as remarkable, it’s an homage to all of those lives that didn’t live to the perfection. I worked hard so now I can finally relish in it…” his lower lip quivered “I worked hard to make it perfect, you know?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Martín kept silent, listening and placing his hand on his friend’s knee, caressing gently_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“It’s just so tragic that people admire the artists only after they die” Andrés frowned and shook his head “It’s a weird world”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Why are you telling me this?” Palermo was confused_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Because, my friend” Berlín looked at him “You’re the only one that can understand” he nodded slowly “It’s late”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Yes, right” Martín still knew close to nothing but decided not to push. Standing up and taking the blanket, he noticed one shooting star and quickly made a wish. You have to take all of the chances, even if they’re ridiculous, right? Andrés took the bottle and the glasses and they walked in silence back to the monastery. Palermo went with him up to his bedroom and just hugged him tightly like he would usually do, not trying to go for more. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he wanted too much. He knew himself and Berlín, he knew them after some alcohol. Berlín was warm and loose and relaxed so the hug was marvellous._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“I’m free tomorrow” he heard sudden whisper, right in his ear, and smiled softly_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Why do you think I want to spend time with you tomorrow?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Call it magic” Andrés rolled his eyes and let go of his friend_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“We should have drunk karaoke this weekend” Martín said with a giggle_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Deal” Berlín loved singing so this wasn’t even a question, it was almost always a yes_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“Goodnight”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Later on, when he was already in bed, he started thinking. He was so confident about himself but this evening only showed that he was the one who should watch out. He had his heart on his sleeve and he could’ve dropped it any second if he wasn’t careful. Andrés was right, he needed some control. And for that he needed to break Berlín, even if just a tiny bit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	3. What are you scared of?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Delivering you another chaper today! I'm very happy you guys love this, I'm very very glad. Quick info because there were some questions about the timeline - this is set right after the scene from the season 4 finale (The Kiss scene) but I'm mixing some facts, that's why they already have their own city names and so on, to be honest it doesn't really matter because the story isn't about the heist but just FYI ;)
> 
> I hope you love this chapter as much as I do!

The sleepless previous night made Palermo oversleep a lot. He totally missed breakfast and almost lunch. Walking to the dining room he immediately crossed sights with Berlín and sent him a smile “Buenos dias, everyone” he casually sat next to his best friend, winking at Sergio and paying little to no attention to Tatiana “I got back some hours of sleep I really needed”

“Good, yes, uhm… Can we meet about the heist today?” Sergio asked, adjusting his glasses

“I’m free” Palermo nodded, looking at Berlín who repeated the gesture “Amazing, lads!” 

When they were all working on their own stuff at the table accompanied by some Italian music, Martín discreetly whispered to Berlín “Andrés”

“Mm?” he brought his eyes from the papers to his friend’s face

“I found a great movie and another bottle of wine, how about a nice relaxing evening tonight?”

“Classy?” Andrés darted his tongue out and touched his upper lip for a split second 

“Very” Palermo smirked at him “You got me thinking yesterday”

“About what exactly?”

“It’s a secret” he chuckled. Berlín rolled his eyes but leaned towards him so he could whisper “I think that maybe…” Martín’s lips were tracing the shell of Andrés’ ear “You like to be…” his hand travelled high on Berlín’s thigh “…manhandled in a proper way” he squeezed and smirked when Berlín’s leg jumped and his knee hit the table. Sergio looked at them, alarmed by the loud thud and it was the first time when Andrés didn’t know what to say, so Palermo saved the situation with a sexual joke, as per usual “Look how excited he gets just planning this heist”

Professor laughed and came back to his papers, while the two of them were eyeing each other for a good minute before going back to work as well. Martín had a wide grin on his face the entire day after what happened. He didn’t win a war, not even a battle, but this was the first soldier down and every victory begins with a small success.

The biggest challenge was to link romanticism and a little bit of roughness. Martín found the best way to do so. Usually when he was on a hunt for a guy, he wasn’t timid at all. He was a player and rarely had to actually fight for a company. If some guy was really intimidating, he would have a drink or two and the shyness was gone. With Andrés he was gonna need a lot, so he prepared two bottles of wine and he had one extra in the mini-fridge. He prepared pillows on the bed, glasses and some fruit since he knew Andrés loves them a lot. Maybe it was a bit cheesy but what he was planning to do after they had some wine wasn’t. Berlín came dressed in a black shirt, no jacket, smelling heavy and beautiful. The spark was there immediately and Martín was sure that they could power up the whole monastery with just the chemistry they had. He couldn’t understand how Andrés could be so oblivious and not notice. He closed the door and looked around slowly, the usual soft smile on his face

“You remember our rules, right?”

“I’m a classy guy” Palermo said, trying to keep himself together. He turned off the lights and put on the movie they were about to watch. 

For most of the people who knew Andrés, he was always so elegant and sophisticated, never making mistakes and following the etiquette, but Palermo knew him more than ten years and was probably one of the two people in this world who got to see Berlín outside of his façade. He saw him naked, in dirty clothes, in a towel, sick, and now he was seeing him without shoes, sitting comfortably yet still gracefully, without this ‘businessman’ mask glued to his face. 

“Cheers to us two” Martín poured them wine

“And to our best heist in the world”

The movie was very good just as Palermo had expected and this made him forget about his goal, but not for long. Everytime Berlín would laugh, openly and right from his chest, Martín was going pliant and everytime he had to remind himself about control. It was hard till the end of the first bottle. The other one went quick, they finished it right when the movie ended. They were half laying on the pillows, laughing and clinking their half-empty glasses while the credits rolled in the back with some cheesy music. 

“You were right, it was a great movie” Berlín said, giggling softly 

“I only give you good things, _mi amor_ ” Palermo knew his speech was a bit slurred but his shame was no longer there

“I always get drunk when I come to your room” Andrés fell on his back onto the pillows and closed his eyes. He was so beautiful like this, Palermo’s heart ached

“I don’t force you to drink” Martín laughed, laying next to him on his side so he could watch his face. Berlín opened his eyes and locked his gaze with Palermo’s

“Nooo” he frowned, blinking slowly 

“No what?” oh this was funny

“I know what you’re doing”

“I’m currently laying down, yes, you know what I’m doing” Palermo was dying to kiss those beautiful lips but not yet, not yet

“You… You know what I mean” 

“I’m afraid I don’t” just a little bit more

“Don’t play stupid” Berlín rolled over to his side so he was facing his friend _"Martín”_ their faces were very close now, their breaths mixing 

“That’s my name” Palermo murmured, slipping his fingers into Berlín’s hair “Andrés”

“And that’s m…” he didn’t get the chance to finish because Martín shut him up with a kiss, not some shy and gentle one, no, a proper kiss with tongue and teeth and it reminded him of the first one so much his chest heaved painfully. Andrés felt like heaven, he tasted mostly the wine, the sweetness he could be kissing out of his lips till the end of his own life. For the first couple of kisses he wasn’t getting an answer, another similarity, but this time… This time was different

“What are you scared of?” Martín kissed him in such erotic way, he couldn’t believe himself “Hm?” and again. Berlín laughed softly, leaning to pull his friend’s lower lip with his teeth. Harshly

“That you won’t handle me” he finally said

“I think you should be afraid that you won’t handle me” Palermo whispered into his lips “You get that with Tatiana?” he sucked on his tongue, making Andrés moan quietly. If there was any control left after two bottles of wine, it disappeared the moment Berlín kissed back. 

If you were to compare both of their kisses, you wouldn’t see the difference at first. Both were passionate, vocal and desperate, but this one right now… It started getting out of control pretty fast, when Palermo’s hungry lips landed on Andrés’ neck, leaving a hickey there, hot and sticky from wine. Berlín pulled his friend back pretty fast, like he couldn’t get enough of the kisses and soon he was pressing him to the mattress, both of their shirts open, their bodies covered in a layer of thin sweat. Martín never desired someone more in his entire life, he even forgot about the no sexual stuff rule.

But as it is in the world, things that should not happen usually find a way not to happen and that’s exactly what happened here. Andrés was in the middle of sucking a beautiful mark on Palermo’s collarbone when something fell on the floor and made a loud noise of shuttering glass. They immediately stopped and looked at each other, confused and dizzy. They were both out of breath, sweaty and their lips swollen.

“I broke you” Martín whispered happily and giggled “I broke you, Andrés, look at you”

“Something… It fell…” Andrés definitely hit his ‘wrecking point’ where the alcohol and the heat did their job and he was half-unconscious. Palermo giggled, giving him couple open-mouthed kisses and dishevelling his hair even more. 

“Don’t worry about it. Stay” he positioned his friend’s head on the pillow “Stay and sleep”

“Watch out… for the glass” Berlín managed to murmur, before falling asleep. To be completely honest, Martín was at his breaking point as well so he didn’t bother picking up the glass, he just laid down and let himself sleep next to the love of his life.

When he opened his eyes the following morning, he saw Andrés already up, looking at him with unreadable expression “Mornin’” Martín smiled, stretching his body and leaning to kiss Berlín

“What do you think you’re doing?” Berlín stopped him with his hand, keeping him fairly away from himself 

“I’m… giving you a kiss?” Martín bit his lip uncertainly

“You’re joking” Andrés scoffed, wincing a little “You think if you get me drunk and kiss me breathless, I’m automatically yours? You think that you can use a situation like this? If you expected to get me drunk and then make me do something you could consider a ‘couple thing’… You failed, my friend”

“Why are you like this?” Martín whispered

“What, honest? Martín…” Andrés shook his head “You live in some weird illusion, don’t you get it? One kiss doesn’t change a thing”

“Maybe for you” there were tears in his eyes and it kinda blurred the image of Andrés in front of him

“It’s not my fault you cling to me like a puppy”

“No need to be cruel, especially that this whole impromptu make-out session was fucking remarkable and you were quite eager to reciprocate”

“You got me drunk”

“No, I haven’t. I didn’t force wine down your throat”

“This is just a fun game, Martín, kissing doesn’t mean I’m in love with you. You got it all wrong, just like the first time” Andrés kept talking and Martín felt one single tear going down his cheek, then another and another 

“Shut up” he whispered, turning over and getting his feet down. He was about to stand up but he scowled like a dog and sat back, hissing and squeezing his eyes shut. Berlín reacted immediately 

“What happened?” he moved on the bed so he was next to him “I told you to watch out for the glass…” he tsk-ed with irritation seeing Palermo’s foot dripping blood. Martín felt like a scolded five-year-old but he said nothing, lowering his head and trying to pick out the glass from his skin “Leave it. Do you have the first aid kit here?”

“In the cabinet” he answered quietly. Andrés was precise and quick with his actions, he got everything he needed, sat back on the bed with the tools and said:

“Don’t move, I’m going to remove the glass” he started working and Palermo finally had an excuse to let the tears fall shamelessly, although they both knew it wasn’t because of the pain. At least not the physical one

“Hey” Andrés looked up and gently wiped Martín’s cheek with his thumb “Stop being a brat”

“You think you can discourage me by being mean and cruel? You think that makes you stronger?” he had nothing to lose anymore “You think that makes you a fucking boss, hm? Big guy Andrés de Fonollosa who never gets feelings for anybody, God forbid a _man_! You’re just afraid of what’s going to happen when you open up to someone. I know Sergio almost as well as I know you, I know what you guys talk about and how different you are with him. I see through this whole façade of yours” he was breathing heavily by the time he said the last word. For some time, there was only silence and the sound of glass pieces clinking when Berlín was putting them away.

“I always liked that about you, you know?” when he didn’t get an answer from Palermo, he continued “Your honesty and bravery, very sexy, very appealing. You see, nobody ever said something like that to me, even Sergio, he’s too nice for that. So let me get this straight… You see me as a cruel, sadistic piece of shit lacking emotions?” Berlín looked straight into Palermo’s eyes, his gaze so cold they both felt it. Somebody else in a different situation would already be apologizing and looking away, but not Martín. He decided to go all in once again in his life

“You certainly try to act like that” he said “But see, I know you, right?” he started combing through Berlín’s hair “So that’s why I know you’re not like that. At least not with people you’re close to. Look, I agreed to the rule that you can still have stuff going on with Tatiana because, as you said, it wouldn’t be a real challenge without it. But you have rules too, my dear, and hiding behind being a piece of shit isn’t one of them. Face your fucking emotions and maybe for once you’ll have a relationship that won’t fall apart after a week” he let go of his friend and stood up, carefully walking around the glass, towards the bathroom. He closed the door behind himself and leaned on them, closing his eyes.  
He did it. He actually called Andrés out on his bullshit. Fuck. _Fuck_. Now the real question was, whether his _hermanito_ will face his words or run away once again


	4. You imprinted your mark into my soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for you! I feel so blessed to have all you being so sweet to me about my work, I'm glad you guys like it and I can promise this story will be as good as I'm capable of writing it :D I love you all and enjoy!

Martín wasn’t doing much walking the whole day because his foot hurt like shit and he wasn’t in the mood to bump into Andrés anytime soon. Andrés on the other hand as soon as he took a shower and got his look together, went for a hunt for his brother. Sergio was in the garden, sitting in a hammock and enjoying the beautiful weather with a book and a beer. Berlín unceremoniously stormed through the garden and scared Sergio shitless, making him almost drop the bottle 

“Drinking so early in the morning?” he teased, looking at the beer

“It’s one pm and you missed two meals already, as well as M…” something clicked in his head “Were you together?”

“Movie night, yeah, listen” Andrés decided not to mention the kissing just yet and just brush the topic off “I have a question”

“Go ahead” Sergio put away his book and adjusted his glasses in his characteristic way 

“Am I an emotionless piece of shit who’s cruel and sadistic?” he focused on Sergio’s face

“You had a fight with Martín?” his younger brother asked softly

“Am I?” Andrés’ narcissistic part needed to be worshipped and loved and when that wouldn’t happen, he would be unease for a long time “Tell me now”

“I think you’re just simply being yourself, Andrés” Sergio smiled “Martín called you that?”

“Maybe”

“You had a fight?”

“Maybe”

“Andrés”

“ _Maybe_ "

Sergio sighed and just picked up his book again, knowing his big brother too damn well 

“Fine, yes, we did” Berlín leaned back, a puzzled look on his face “I concede”

“You wanna tell me about it?”

“I don’t know”

“Have you told him?”

“Not yet”

“Andrés! He deserves to know!” Sergio made a quick pause before continuing “You know he’s madly in love with you?”

“Yes” Andrés murmured, closing his eyes when the sun started burning too much 

“And he deserves to know”

“Yes, indeed, all he needs to know before the biggest heist of our lives is that I’m dying” he scoffed, sending Sergio an irritated look “Perfect”

“You know he won’t pity you, right? If that’s what you’re scared about”

“I don’t get scared and you know it”

_‘What are you scared of? Hm?’_

“Andrés, please. If something bothers you, just tell me” Sergio patted his arm and suddenly frowned “Since when do you let Tatiana… or anybody… uhm…” he blushed “… _mark_ you?”

“What?” Berlín sat straight, moving the whole hammock and almost causing Sergio to fall onto his face “Where?”

“Here, on your neck… There’s two, look” he handed him his phone with the camera on. Andrés was studying the hickeys for a very long time before handing the cell back to his brother and laying back down without a word

“Tatiana didn’t do it” he finally spoke

“Oh… so who?”

“You’re the Professor, add two and two and you’ll see clearly” Berlín could almost hear all the machinery in Sergio’s head, tossing and turning and moving. It didn’t take him long to get to the truth 

“You’re hooking up. You and Martín”

“No, no… Not precisely” Andrés chuckled softly “We kissed twice”

“So… You, uhm… And him…”

“No” he shook his head “He’s trying though”

“I think I don’t really… get it”

So Andrés just decided to tell his brother everything, every little detail he could recall. Sergio was a marvellous listener, never cut him mid-sentence, never laughed, just listened intently, watching his brother as he spoke. It took pretty long but finally Andrés finished the story and went silent. Sergio also wasn’t even trying to say anything but then finally he cleared his throat and spoke “You should cover those up if you don’t want Tatiana to find out”

“Really, Sergio?” Andrés scoffed “Really? I’m telling you the whole story, how complicated everything is and you tell me to cover up my hickeys?”

“You said Tatiana can’t know”

“Yeah, and what?”

“Well” Sergio stood up from the hammock and smiled “You never want to hide something if you didn’t do anything wrong, right?”

Martín was sure it was all over, especially that after their talk in the morning he didn’t see Andrés for two, almost three days straight. His foot was doing better so he decided on a quick walk to his favorite place in the back of the monastery, outside, where no gardener or monk would ever go. 

He felt pretty lonely, not because of the lack of people other than the three of them and the monks, it was mostly loneliness of being away from the only person that could make him happy. Martín regretted this whole challenge, because to be honest he’d rather have a friend than nothing. They were on day five, actually the day was almost over, and Andrés wasn’t more in love with Martín than he was before. Palermo was yearning for attention that he always got plenty of when Andrés was around. He liked when he would touch his shoulders and compliment his good idea, or smile at him so Palermo got a couple of stolen seconds when he could drown in his best friend’s eyes. What was he thinking to even propose this stupid challenge? He should have dealt with the kiss, dealt with the emotions and acted like nothing happened, but no, he had to be a damn Casanova and try his fucking charm on a straight guy who thought of him as a brother. 

The worst part was a big hickey on his left collarbone that stung every time Martín looked at it. It was close to his heart and honestly felt like Andrés sucked a mark on his soul instead, placing his signature there. Well, he didn’t, but for Martín he belonged to Andrés, no matter what his friend said. He would always be the desperate dog, clinging to Berlín’s leg because that’s just how it was. Love was cruel when rejected.

It was his sacred place, so much different and secluded and yet he bumped into someone being already there, sitting close to the precipice on the slightly wet grass. Martín noticed him and took a sharp breath before approaching the man and sitting next to him.

“I’m… so sorry, Andrés” he started, biting his lip. He gazed at his best friend who was looking somewhere far away, his face soft and calm

“I’m sick” what he said was quiet and sad and it baffled Martín totally

“What?”

“I’m sick” Andrés sent him a tired look. He was smiling but it was so clearly forced that Martín’s heart ached. He had never seen his friend like that before 

“What are you talking about?” he didn’t catch the moment he started whispering 

“I have the same thing my mother did, Martín” Berlín watched Palermo’s face dropping, hurt flashing through, as well as sadness before he collected himself enough to answer him

“Okay” he swallowed, trying hard not to cry

“I’m dying” Andrés reached his trembling hand to held Palermo’s face “Not soon, but… You know how it goes already” he let go and looked the other way. His best friend was quiet, visibly thinking of the best answer for this kind of confession “Don’t say you’re sorry or anything like it”

“It doesn’t matter” after a long moment of complete silence, Martín smiled. Berlín sent him a questioning look so he quickly added “Andrés, we’re doing the biggest heist in the history, you really think we’re going to get out of it alive?” his cheerful tone brought a smile back to Andrés’ lips and they both laughed softly “Really” Martín continued after a moment “And if we do get out alive, we’re gonna buy you the best treatments in the world or a private island where we can stay and use our money on gambling and food and art till your last day… or both”

“That sounds nice” Andrés admitted, lowering his head to avoid looking Martín in the eyes

“There’s nothing wrong with being afraid, Andrés. I would be worried if you weren’t”

“I guess karma is actually a bitch and the horrible people eventually get fucked, hm?”

“You’re not a horrible person” Martín moved closer, sitting in front of Andrés which allowed him to look at his face “You are not”

“I was horrible to you”

“It doesn’t matter” Palermo was whispering again, there was just something in Berlín in that moment that required being gentle and soft “I’m like a homeless dog, I will follow you till you take me home, even if it will never happen”

“And will you come to the train station every morning, years after I die?” Andrés smiled, reminding them of a movie they once watched together that left Martín mewling for another week or so. 

“You know I will” Palermo nodded. Andrés sighed deeply, looking him in the eyes and allowing his whole façade to crumble, just like that, in front of Martín. His lower lip trembled just a tiny bit but it was enough for his best friend to lean and hug him tightly, closing his arms around him and caressing his hair in a silent attempt to comfort him. Martín understood that ‘breaking’ Andrés had nothing to do with the desire part of their relationship, it was much more, much deeper, and the realization made him hold his friend even closer, breathing heavily. He knew he was now the guardian of something much more important and valuable than he could wrap his mind around, but he knew he would keep it safe even if it meant causing himself pain. 

Feeling Andrés relaxing, he gently let go of him but stayed close, observing him carefully. He could see himself in the darkness of his eyes as well as some of the stars, it was a material for a painting, truly. He wondered if Andrés would paint it for him someday. 

“You’re safe” he whispered and gasped when his friend closed the space between them and linked their foreheads “You’re safe with me, love”

If Palermo was a mind reader, he would know that Berlín’s heart was beating fast, that he felt soft and warm all over, going pliant which probably never happened to him before. If he was a mind reader, he would probably have an opportunity to get ready for what happened next. But he wasn’t. Probably that’s why only seconds later when Martín was kissed, he moved his head away in shock, totally not expecting this. Berlín looked like he got punched in the face, but Martín quickly fixed this situation by holding his face gently and linking their foreheads once again. The next kiss was even softer, careful, different than the ones before. It felt like the whole world stopped and there was just the two of them, hesitantly taking tiny steps forward. It had nothing to do with the desire, there was no tongue, no teeth, no pulling or sucking. And yet it was the best kiss Martín had ever experienced.

“We’re going to be okay” he whispered, playing with Andrés’ hair and hugging him tightly “I promise”


	5. Me dejaste en un tango

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! Another chapter today. I have to say, I'm completely overwhelmed by your sweet comments and I kinda gave up with answering to each one so I'm saying to all of you: THANK YOU SO MUCH! You give me motivation to continue, and lemme tell you - the next chapters are going to blow your minds, I'm so excited! 
> 
> Enjoy!

Sergio wasn’t surprised when he didn’t see his brother at breakfast in the morning, the lack of Martín wasn’t suspicious too. He just hoped that didn’t mean they were still not talking to each other because it started being ridiculous. For example, every time one of them appeared in a dining room, the other one would leave without eating his food. When they happened to be together in one room, they wouldn’t even look at each other. And when Sergio would start a conversation, they would ignore him or murmur something under their breath, clearly not interested in speaking to one another. This has never happened before and poor Sergio had no idea how to deal with the situation. He hated the silence, especially that he wasn’t a very talkative guy, so usually the conversation would be held by one of them, Palermo or Berlín. He knew them both very well, so he knew that it would be Martín who will apologize first, even if he didn’t want to. What actually surprised him was Tatiana coming to him and asking about where her husband-to-be was the whole previous night because he wasn’t in their bedroom. Sergio hid his smile and just shrugged his shoulders, quickly leaving the room to avoid any awkward conversation with her. He didn’t want to be disrespectful, but he wasn’t very fond of Tatiana, when Martín on the other hand was his favorite and he would gladly see Andrés betrothing this one.

That’s why he loved so much the view he got to see when he entered the garden in the afternoon. Palermo and Berlín were together, Martín sitting on a hammock and Andrés painting something, listening to Martín from time to time. Sergio approached them with a smile “Good afternoon, as I see we’re back to normal?”

“He’s painting something for me” Martín declared, observing the confidence in Andrés’ moves

“So I see. Brother, can I ask you for a word?”

“Surely” Andrés sent his friend a bright smile and followed Sergio a little further between the fruit trees 

“What is it?”

“You talked I assume”

“Yes, and he knows about my condition. We’re good as ever if not better, don’t worry, little bro” Berlín squeezed Sergio’s arm and winked at him 

“Good, good, I couldn’t stand the silence anymore” Sergio adjusted his glasses “So... Are you two...”

“ _Hermanito_ , patience is a virtue” Berlín laughed, wrapping his arm around him and leading him back “Don’t underestimate Martín”

“I don’t, that’s why I’m asking”

“Patience” Andrés picked up the brush, stretching his arm for couple seconds. Palermo opened his eyes, smiling at him and looking very close to dozing off

“Tatiana asked about you” Sergio has been stressing out about that since this morning and it was a great relief to finally be able to say it out loud 

“Yeah, I haven’t slept with her last night. We were outside with Martín”

“But then you weren’t, Tatiana gets up early for her yoga, she told me”

“Well” Andrés’ eyes were shining

“You slept together, right?” typically Sergio would never asked questions like that, he was just so curious he couldn’t stop himself 

“Brother, I don’t recognize you” Berlín acted very surprised, even offended “Those questions are very inappropriate!” he managed to make Professor blush and look away, so he laughed and patted his back “I’m joking, yeah we did. But it’s nothing new, how many times me and you slept in one bed, Sergio?”

“Right, uhm... Affirmative...”

“Well, me and Martín actually didn’t get much sleep, just look at him” Andrés kept teasing, pointing at napping Palermo and causing Sergio to blush even more “Because conversations take a lot of time, brother, you have one dirty mind” he laughed, coming back to his painting. 

“Stop fucking with me”

“Language, _hermanito_ ” Andrés sighed with fake disapproval “Better take a look at the painting”

There was just the dark iris of an eye, inside of it a man looking up and beautiful night sky full of stars. It was marvellous “Wow, Andrés...”

“Shh. Sometimes the whole mystery of some things lays in unspoken words”

Evenings were definitely their time, it was almost a sacred tradition at this point. After his nap Martín and Andrés went out for dinner and then decided on doing something neither of them even considered before.

“Do you remember one of the first cocktail parties we attended together, the Roxy?” Andrés was playing with his fork, lifting his gaze at Martín 

“Of course I do, I haven’t danced so much since”

“Exactly” Berlín smiled widely, visibly excited

“I don’t…” Palermo laughed “I don’t get what you imply”

“Well, _cariño_ , what I imply is… we go… and get rid of some of that negative energy we’ve had lately, no?” 

“You want to go dancing” Martín shook his head, being sure it was a joke. It had to be, Berlín couldn’t just propose something like that to him. 

“Yes”

“Why so sudden? Do you…” suddenly his face dropped “Andrés…”

“Hm?”

“It’s not like… you’re trying to… do things before…” he swallowed 

“Oh” Berlín burst into laughter, beautiful and loud and it relaxed Martín in a split second “Please, I’m not dying anytime soon” he leaned to hold Martín’s hand “I know how much you love dancing, I wanna do something nice for you… Besides I’m not a bad dancer myself” he winked at his friend who blushed a little

“Yeah, right” Palermo bit his lip, smiling shyly. His cheeks were getting very red very quickly, feeling Berlín’s fingers caressing his wrist slowly and gently. It felt almost like a feather yet still burned like fire and made his heart close to jumping out of his chest. 

“How about we go tonight?”

“Tonight? I’m… not really dressed for that and…”

“Shh, shh, shh” Andrés put a finger on Martín’s lips to shush him and chuckled softly seeing his reaction “You look good and so do I, we’re going, Martín”

“Okay” he nodded, smiling so widely it almost hurt “You finished?”

The place Berlín took him to was very similar to Roxy, mentioned earlier. Live music, elegant people and very overpriced drinks. Everything matched, even Andrés’ look. Martín remembered his outfit that day, the way he was talking to him, the songs… It was bringing back memories, happy ones they both needed now. 

“I feel like ten years ago” he said loudly so Berlín could hear him 

“It was the night when the waiter kissed you, remember?” Andrés said with his eyes squeezing a little 

“Not at all”

“Liar” they both laughed and found themselves a table, right next to the window where there wasn’t as many people like at the tables in the middle. 

“You’re planning on some dancing?” 

“You’re not?” Palermo was sure that if looks could burn, he would be boiling this exact moment. This kind of looking should be illegal, plus that voice… Wow “Come on”

“Now? There’s nobody on the dancefloor”

“You’re shy, Martín?” Andrés provoked him 

“I prefer more people there so we have to be closer” he teased, leaning back and smirking. He was good at his own game and the situation was like adding wood to the fire. 

The music was decent, there was some guy in his forties playing the guitar and singing but after a while he got lost and they spotted three people coming up on the stage – a woman with a violin, a guy with a trumpet and another guy with a microphone. The whole ballroom went quiet and the one with the mic announced the performance

“Welcome, my beautiful people. Tonight you will experience some classics that will bring you back to the times when you were young and in love…” Martín felt himself blush, causing Andrés to chuckle “We highly encourage you to take over the dancefloor with your partner, or go alone in hope of finding one” the crowd laughed and people started pairing up in the middle. The band began playing some song, fast and lively, probably to move the people a bit for the beginning. 

“We’re going or I have to go alone, hm?” Andrés sent Palermo a questioning look

“Two songs and we’re going in”

“I don’t remember you being shy”

“It was ten years ago, Andrés” Martín rolled his eyes, sipping his cocktail. His friend only shook his head with laughter, observing the people on the dancefloor. They seemed careless, different age, job, life. It didn’t matter here. They were happy, closed in a beautiful bubble of music and their partner, forgetting the everyday life and every problem they had. Martín wondered if they deliberately chose to spend their evening at a place like this to get away from some drama at home or was it just a funny way to use some spare time.

As promised, two songs went by and they stood up, ready to join others. Martín was actually stressing out, not knowing why. They did this million times before in many places in the world and yet, something about this particular evening felt off. He didn’t like people looking at them, he wasn’t sure how to approach the dancing itself when it was Andrés who…

“You’re thinking too much” a strong hand lifted Palermo’s chin up and he was met with Berlín’s smile “Just relax”

“Yeah” he nodded, fumbling with his hands not sure where to put them 

“Such a big mouth and when it’s time to act…” Andrés sighed with fake irritation and just pulled Martín to the middle, between some people. The songs were fast and cheerful, some of them Spanish, some Italian and it was easy for Martín to finally let loose and get lost in the music. As usual after a set of crazy dancing came something slower so both musicians and dancers got a chance to take a breath. 

“Let’s have a drink” Martín quickly found himself going towards the bar to order something. He had a chance, maybe the only one in his live to slow dance with Andrés… And he ran away. Fuck, he blew it. Why? He had no idea

“Took you long enough” Berlín was smiling in the most adorable way possible when Martín came back to their booth. 

“There was a line” he answered, sipping his drink and avoiding eye contact at all cost. There was something he couldn’t quite name but he knew it wasn’t typical and it was driving him crazy. 

“What’s up with you?” Andrés leaned towards him over the table “Hey, look at me”

“Nothing. It’s okay”

“We can leave if you hate it”

“No, no, I’m fine”

“Then relax and let me have my dance, no? _Cariño_?”

“Right” Palermo sent him a smile and soon enough they were back on the dance floor. The trio decided on some twist, then more twist, then some jazz and then…

“Don’t you dare run away” Andrés held Martín’s wrist tightly, keeping him close. As soon as the band started playing “ _Ti amo_ ”, Palermo was more than ready to escape once again and hide at their table, but no “You’re brave enough to kiss me but not brave enough to slow dance with me?”

“I…”

“What are you scared of? Hm?” he tilted his head, feeling Martín shaking a little and biting his lip “The lyrics? I know them very well” he brushed off a piece of Palermo’s hair from his forehead

_Ti amo, io sono (I love you, I am)  
ti amo, in fondo un uomo (I love you, after all a man)  
che non ha freddo nel cuore, (who doesn’t feel cold in the heart)  
nel letto comando io (in bed, I’m in command) _

“Andrés…”

“No” he shook his head, slowly rocking from side to side, still holding Palermo’s wrist “You’re gonna listen and look me in the eyes” he locked their gazes, seeing a single tear slipping down Martín’s cheek. He wiped it gently and kissed his forehead, dragging it out for couple seconds till he felt the tension leaving his friend’s body. He had a very vulnerable man in front of him and had to be extremely careful not to break him. 

_Dammi il tuo vino leggero (Give me your light wine)  
che hai fatto quando non c'ero, (that you made when I was away)  
e le lenzuola di lino (and the linen bedsheets)_

“You asked me if I was a coward. I’m not” Berlín whispered, embracing Martín’s waist and hugging him gently. His best friend slowly sank into his arms, no longer escaping, but clinging closer, close, so close Andrés could feel his heartbeat, rapid but oh, so alive and beautiful. Placing his hands on his back caused them to be even closer, in a way that spoke volume without using any words. 

_e poi fatti un po' prendere in giro (and then let me make fun of you a little)  
prima di fare l’amore (before making love)_

“You never really told me this out loud, Martín. I had to say it because you never even tried” Andrés was whispering into his hair, dancing in the most intimate embrace he ever had a chance to be in. Martín was calming down from his mini panic attack, breathing in Berlín’s perfumes and telling himself that it was actually happening, it wasn’t a dream. He didn’t quite know where this conversation (or rather a monologue) was going but it was enough he could be like this with Andrés. 

_lo ti amo, e chiedo perdono (I love you and ask for forgiveness)  
Ricordi chi sono (remember who I am)  
Ti amo, ti amo, ti amo, ti amo, ti amo (I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you)_

“I’m in love with you” Martín whispered into Andrés’ neck when the song was coming to an end. He was still crying a little bit, not able to let go, to break the embrace he felt so safe in “I loved you since the day I met you and I’m sorry I never told you”

Berlín looked down and slowly kissed away every tear he could find on Martín’s face, then he brushed his lips before murmuring “Let’s go home”

“Home?”

“If you strip out of your protective layer, you need to make sure there’s someone waiting to hold you so you won’t hurt yourself”


	6. Your heartbeat is my lullaby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so stinking excited for this chapter, it's the longest so far AND this is finally something we've all been waiting for... and on the other hand i'm most scared of your reactions for this one, so just enjoy and tell me what you think sofjisfiufv!

They got back to the monastery in complete silence, Martín’s fingers tightly entwined with Andrés’, but the moment they reached Andrés’ bedroom he kissed Palermo deeply, gently pressing him to the closed door and slipping his hand into his hair. The kiss was full of unspoken words and hidden feelings and it made both of their heads spin.

“Slowly, slowly” Berlín whispered, stopping his friend from undoing his shirt “Slow down” he kept his hands away and went back to kissing him, exploring his mouth and making tiny breaks for breathing 

“Please…”

“I’m here, I’m right here” Andrés caressed his arm, linking their foreheads and smiling gently “No need to hurry” he kissed Martín with care, trying to calm him down

“Right” Martín whispered, closing his eyes. He felt like he was dreaming the most remarkable dream and it made him feel many different things at once. They were kissing slowly, almost lazily, allowing the tension to build gradually. There was no rush and that’s why it felt more like something truly meaningful. He felt Andrés pulling him towards the bed and only when his back hit the mattress, he fully realized what was about to happen. Berlín linked their lips and finally allowed the kiss to proceed further, opening up and gliding his tongue across Martín’s lower lip. His hands held Palermo’s wrist up, pressed to the bed as he slid his mouth down to kiss his neck. 

“Oh God...” a tiny gasp escaped Martín as he tilted his head to the side, giving Andrés more space “Andrés...”

“Something wrong?” Berlín looked up, meeting his gaze 

“No” Martín shook his head “Not at all”

“Good” he came back to his neck, tracing lines with his tongue and making Palermo start panting “Slowly, just breathe” he leaned and murmured into his lips “Drag the pleasure...” 

Martín breathed out slowly and nodded, controlling his reactions and the speed of them 

“Good” Berlín smirked and rewarded him with a deep kiss, so erotic it took Martín’s breath away “The song was about making love... Not hooking up, hm?”

“Yes...”

“Yes. That’s why we’re going _my_ way, Martín” he touched Palermo’s cheek and then brushed his lips with his finger. Martín was looking at him with such devotion and love it was almost impossible for Andrés to comprehend “Take off your shirt” his voice was low, deep and raspy and Martín had never in his entire life stripped faster. Berlín’s gaze was burning, every inch his eyes laid on was on fire, melting and boiling. Martín had to use all of his self-control not to throw himself at his friend. Andrés just leaned and kissed the most sensitive spot on Martín’s neck and then bit down, hard but not too painfully. Palermo moaned softly, his hips buckling up in a desperate motion. 

“You’re gonna be the death of me” he panted, chasing Andrés’ lips 

“You know a better way to die?” Berlín laughed in a sexy way, his gaze back on Palermo’s face 

“Honestly no” he shook his head “Kiss me, dammit”

“Mm, language” Andrés tsked quietly, leaning to peck his lips “Better be saying my name” his hand went down Martín’s chest and cupped his crotch gently 

“Aaah... Andrés...”

“See? Beautiful” he giggled, capturing his lips and allowing Martín to dominate the kiss this time, adding tongue and teeth and all that jazz that made them so excited last time “Don’t move” he warned, kissing his way down Martín’s chest and getting out the most amazing sounds of him

“Please, fuck, please...”

“I don’t like when you curse in bed, Martín” Andrés stopped at Palermo’s waistband and pulled himself back up “Can’t stand the foreplay?”

“Shut up” Martín slipped his fingers into Berlín’s hair and kissed him hard, biting his lower lip. He grabbed his shirt and started undoing it, this time without any word from Andrés. When it was already somewhere on the floor, he finally kissed Andrés’ neck and found his mark from the last time with a smirk “Still there”

“Of course” Berlín chuckled, easily pushing Martín back to laying down “I think you forgot about something, _cariño_. I’m the one in charge here” he grabbed Palermo’s belt and started undoing it, painfully slowly, dragging it out as long as he could. 

“Andrés...”

“Say it again like that and maybe I’ll go faster” Andrés murmured, leaning to kiss him quickly 

“Andrés... Please”

“You need to learn to take your time” he threw the belt away and undid his pants “We’re not here for a sprint, we’re doing long distance, whole night, whatever you want to call it”

“W... Whole night” Palermo suddenly forgot how to speak 

“When I get my hands on you, I won’t let go that easily” with Martín’s help, Andrés got rid of the pants and now his friend was sprawled in front of him only in his boxers “Can you be patient?”

“I... I think so” Martín stuttered, awfully aware of the painful situation between his legs 

“I love your passion” Andrés put his hand on him and gently massaged causing Martín to mewl “But what I love more is keeping control and dragging everything out” as soon as he felt the fabric soaking he forcefully pulled it down, letting Martín deal with the rest of the process

“H…Have you ever… done it?” Palermo whispered “With… a man?”

“You’re afraid I won’t know what to do, Martín?” Berlín’s lips found its way to Martín’s once again “Believe me, I do very well. Turn around”

“Onto my stomach?”

“Yeah” when Palermo did just that, he heard some bottle being opened and soon enough there were heavy, slick hands on his back 

“Oh… wow…” he gasped, relaxing immediately. Andrés was good at this, he was massaging in all the right places, at the same time able to make it as erotic as it could get. The touch sometimes would disappear only so Berlín could lean and kiss his neck or lips and make him melt even more. His fingers were miraculous and Palermo could imagine himself spending the rest of his life in this situation. He was discovering new things about Andrés he wasn’t aware of before, for his advantage most of them were connected to being intimate so he was probably going to experience them all.

Martín moaned loudly when those same fingers started playing him like a piano, beginning with one and gradually working to use more. Andrés knew exactly what he was doing because soon enough Martín was moaning and shaking, painfully close to the point of no return. Berlín turned him over so they were facing each other again and he knelt on the bed with Martín’s body between his legs “Would you please undo my pants?”

Martín didn’t need to be told twice, he quickly removed the rest of Berlín’s clothes and finally, _finally_ their bodies linked, naked and glorious and they were kissing again, their hands exploring the skin, the muscles, the bones, everything they could. It was like in those movies, romantic and beautiful, when Martín was more used to boom boom ciao, he was actually waiting to be literally taken from the back. But that wasn’t going to happen.

“Do you like blueberries? I know you do” Andrés murmured in between kisses

“Hm? Why?"

“I have condoms that taste like blueberries” his laugh made Palermo’s heart flutter as he watched his partner unwrapping the protection and putting it on casually. Then he leaned over him, gently linking their hips, making Martín feel how turned on he was. He bent, then lifted up one of Martín’s leg and positioned himself, kissing his neck all the time. He must have felt the unspoken question in the air because he hummed and whispered “I want to see your face”

The moment Andrés entered him was like knocking on the doors to heaven and dragged a soft moan from Martín’s lips. He was slow, not rushing anything, kissing Martín every so often to make him feel secure.

“Slowly” he murmured, caressing Palermo’s hair and going fully in without moving much yet “It’s not some hook-up in the bar”

“Nobody… ever faced me… before” Martín opened his eyes, feeling his head spinning from the heat and pleasure

“That only means they were cowards” Andrés nodded, making the first swing of his hips, causing them both to moan 

“God… It feels amazing”

“So vocal” the tease in Andrés’ voice was obvious but didn’t change the fact that the moves he was making were hitting this exact spot that made Palermo go boneless every single time. He entwined their fingers and got lost in the sequence of moves, the song created by their voices, the heat that made a mirror steamy. He would never expect this kind of sex from Andrés and yet he was safely closed in his arms, Berlín was completely lost in the moment, somehow managing to keep both of them at the same level of satisfaction – perfection. It felt like they were going on for hours, neither of them wanted this to be over, but their relief has been building up for so long that it finally had to escape. Martín finished first, tilting his head back and screaming Andrés’ name from the top of his lungs, followed quickly by Berlín with his name on his lips. They fell on the bed, sweaty and still linked together but neither of them tried to move. They shared couple of deep kisses before Andrés got out and threw the condom away with a soft groan. The silence that fell after was comforting, only their heavy breaths audible.

“Andrés?” Martín spoke after good ten minutes

“Hm?”

“I don’t think you’ve done me enough, I guess we have to go again” they both giggled and just rolled over to again get busy with each other. 

The warm beams of sunlight caressed Martin's eyelids, waking him up. He smiled softly and sighed, feeling strong arms wrapped around him. He opened his eyes and looked up, seeing Andrés still sleeping, his hair a cute mess, his breath slow and steady. Martín couldn’t stop a huge grin that appeared on his face when he remembered last night. He felt amazing, like his whole body belonged to Andrés and to him only. Closing his eyes again he started reliving everything in his head, his body reacting immediately, pleasant shivers traveling down his back. He placed a soft kiss on Berlín’s chest and purred happily when Andrés moved and slowly woke up, smiling in this charming way of his. Neither of them said anything not to ruin the moment. Martín pressed a kiss to Berlín’s lips, then another and when he wasn’t pushed away, he deepened it, making their tongues dance, slowly, lazily

“I love you” Martín whispered and felt a gentle kiss pressed to his head. It was more than enough honestly, more than he could ever dream of. He slowly started kissing down Andrés’ neck, going lower and lower until Andrés moaned loudly, slipping his hand into Palermo’s hair to guide him. Martín worked slowly, taking advantage of his tongue, teeth and the amount of time he could spend holding his breath. It was hot yet still tender, and the sounds coming from Berlín was the most beautiful music for his ears. Andrés kept his head in one place, but his fingers were playing with Martín’s hair, pulling from time to time when the pleasure got too much. It wasn’t long after that he moaned Martín’s name, finishing in his mouth and pulling him up to look at him swallow. He wiped the corner of Palermo’s mouth with his thumb and sighed softly when Martín sucked it clean.

“You’re unbelievable” he shook his head

“Only for you” Palermo placed a kiss on his cheek and blushed “Uhm... Now what?”

“What what?” Berlín raised his brow

“I mean... I’m in your bed... Satisfied like never before... What now?” he positioned himself back in Andrés’ arms

“Now we can...” Berlín hummed, drawing some patterns on Martín’s naked back “Do it again... And then... Again... And then again” he smirked, seeing Palermo’s eyes widening “I told you I won’t let you leave my bed so easily”

“What about...” he was silenced by Andrés’ finger on his lips

“I am in charge here, remember?”

“Very clearly” Palermo grinned and almost said something more but he was stopped by the knocking on the door

“Andrés?” it was clearly Sergio. Berlín looked at Martín with a devilish smile

“Start moaning” he whispered

“What? No!” Martín blushed

“Andrés, you there?” another knock. Andrés rolled his eyes and wrapped his hand around Martín making him hiss and then started moving fast and tight and Palermo just couldn’t stop himself

“Ahh! Andrés.... Yeah...”

The knocking immediately stopped and they heard a very embarrassed Sergio “I... Uhm... Nevermind”

Andrés giggled, still working Martín up and biting his lip when he heard him moan. When Martín was close, Andrés took his hand away and shushed him up with a kiss

“F... Fuck, let me... Andrés...”

“Let you what?” he smirked

“Let me come...” Martín gasped desperately

“You didn’t start moaning when I asked you to” he placed his hand back and made couple moves before stopping again

“Please...”

“I didn’t hear you?”

“Please!”

“Better” Berlín picked up his pace but stopped again right before Martín’s orgasm

“FUCK...”

“Language, language” Andrés sighed and ruffled Martín’s hair “Tell me something nice”

“I love you” there was a gentle smile on Palermo’s face 

“Mhmm” Berlín hummed in response, finishing him off and kissing every moan from his lips. They got lost in kisses, touches and soft gasps coming from both of them till late afternoon hours when they finally had enough. 

“You never get tired, huh?” Martín panted, wiping his forehead and eyeing Andrés who was stretched on the covers, looking like a greek god and smiling

“I do sometimes, hey, we’ve had like two naps in between” Andrés laughed, playfully touching Martín’s thigh. He quickly pushed away his hand with a loud giggle 

“Don’t you dare!” they got silent, enjoying each other’s company and slowly regulating their breaths. Suddenly Martín’s stomach rumbled loudly, making his cheeks rosy

“Yeah, about that” Andrés nodded “We kinda forgot about eating today”

“We were just busy” Martín smiled at him 

“You wanna go fetch some food?”

“Shower first?”

“You can go first” Berlín laid on his back, stretching his arms but seeing Martín’s gaze he winced “What?”

“We spent hours on fucking and you’re too shy to shower with me?”

“We didn’t fuck…” Andrés got up and followed Palermo to the bathroom “We made love, _cariño_ , that’s different”

“Right, right” Palermo started the water and quickly they both got in, kissing lazily from time to time and washing each other thoroughly. Martín felt like they were on their honeymoon, his heart was fluttering like a butterfly and he was sure there wasn’t anybody happier than him in the universe. 

“Sergio won’t be able to look at us” Martín giggled when they were on their way to the kitchen. Andrés just sent him a soft look and chuckled 

“Don’t worry, he saw more than you might think of him” they reached their destination and Martín sat on the table, thinking of what he would like to eat but Andrés was quicker “I’ll cook, hm?”

“Amazing. I’ll get some wine then”

“Fancy” Berlín already started his dish, quick on his feet, full of grace and elegance even in a white robe. Martín smiled to himself and walked towards the stairs that led to a basement where they kept all their alcohol. He was humming under his breath, calm and happy when suddenly someone grabbed his arm and put a hand on his mouth 

“Don’t even try screaming” he heard a very familiar voice. Tatiana let go of him and faced him, arms crossed “We’re gonna have a talk”

“And for a talk you had to scare me?”

“Listen now” she was furious “I know that you and Andrés have this… Affair or whatever, I don’t know, all I know is you are his little bitch and do everything for his sadistic ass”

“You won’t piss me off that easily” Palermo raised his brow 

“I’m not going to, I’m just honest. I don’t care if he fucks you or you fuck him, I don’t give a shit” she came closer and Martín started feeling uncomfortable “But if you make him cancel the wedding… I’m going to hurt him very badly with my favourite toy” she smirked “Well, I’d rather not do that because then Sergio gets all his money and then I will have to do some dirty work to get my hands on that cash... and if I divorce him I get a nice amount for myself without even saying a word, so…” 

“I’m going to go upstairs and tell him this right this moment” Palermo shook his head. Unbelievable.

“No, you’re not” Tatiana pulled out a gun and pressed it to his forehead “I wonder how Andrés is gonna do without his… what are you for him, a sex toy?”

“You’re such a…”

“Bitch? Well, thank you” she laughed “Now take your wine, put on that charming smile of yours and go back to your master. Remember, one word about this to Andrés and you’re dead” she pushed him towards the stairs, still pointing the gun at him. Palermo took the bottle and breathed deeply couple of times before slowly walking upstairs. He had to act like nothing happened but he felt sick. He had to tell Andrés somehow. Or Sergio. Or… 

“I’m so fucking stupid” he rubbed his face and turned around, running down to the basement again “Tatiana!”

“What?” she was looking at the oldest wine they had in the back of the basement 

“How much?”

“How much?” she scoffed “Honey, you don’t have that much money”

“How much, I asked you a fucking question!” he hissed, grabbing her wrist

“5 million dollars” she calmly answered, looking at him with no fear “I know you don’t own this much, kid”

“I’ll get it. I will and you leave us alone, I don’t know, you’ll tell him you made a mistake and you don’t love him or whatever”

“How will you get the money?” she crossed her arms on her chest. Palermo swallowed with some trouble before whispering:

“I’m gonna steal them from Andrés”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to mention that I'm already planning a sequel to it and the idea hit me in the shower and it's really good, I just need to work on it but wouldn't a sequel be amazing?  
> Also, couple of you said that our sweet but a psycho Berlin isn't ooc at all and I'm VERY glad about this *wipes her forehead* - this was honestly my biggest concern about this story so I'm happy it works out so well


	7. I will do anything for you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long one for you :) enjoy and don't kill me, please

“Took you long enough, you got lost?” Andrés joked, seeing Martín with a bottle, entering the kitchen

“Nah” he pressed a kiss to Andrés’ arm “I just had to pick the best wine for us”

“Of course you did” Berlín chuckled, shaking his head “I made fried pasta with shrimp and fresh vegetables, try it?” he took some onto a fork and guided it to Martín’s mouth. Martín had a devilish smile on as he sucked the fork clean and immediately leaned to kiss Andrés’ lips

“Amazing. But you taste even better” they got lost in deep, passionate kisses until they heard someone clear their throat with embarrassment. Martín let go of Andrés with a wet sound, being already worked up for more and looked behind, noticing Sergio whose face was bright red.

“ _Hermanito_!” Andrés sent him a bright smile, closing his robe that “somehow” undid itself “How was your day?”

“Uhm, well... Good, good...” he looked away and Martín laughed loudly, moving towards the cabinets and taking another wine glass

“Andrés made dinner, eat with us, hm?”

“I wouldn’t want to interrupt, really, I...”

“Sergio!” Andrés wrapped his arm around his brother “Don’t be a baby, I’m not gonna take Martín on the table with you here, I have some morals” he winked at Palermo who still, after everything they’ve done, managed to blush. Sergio almost choked on his own saliva

“W... Were you going to do this?”

“On the counter, to be precise. But the table sounds nice too” both Andrés and Martín laughed loudly, preparing everything for dinner. Soon they were all seated and eating, occasionally chatting but mostly busy with food.

“So” Sergio finally decided to ask “You two are... Together now?”

Martín gazed at Andrés quickly, biting his lip. It was one of those questions he didn’t really like to bring up 

“No, Sergio, no” Berlín shook his head “It’s not like that between us. We love each other, you know that, we always had”

“Yes, correct, but...”

“No but, it is how it is” and just like that it was the end of the conversation. Martín was trying to occupy his mind with things so be wouldn’t have to think about the relationship situation or the crime he was about to commit. Honestly it was scary. Tatiana gave him 48 hours to get the cash before she would kill one of them. Martín already had an idea but he had to think about it thoroughly, for what he needed time alone and this... Well, this seemed hard to get for the moment Sergio would be gone, they will be back to business with Andrés. He had to come up with some excuse but that could wait till the next morning.

“Casino” they were sprawled naked on the bed, tangled in soft covers, sweaty and tired. Martín opened his eyes, focusing on Andrés and his words

“What?”

“My bachelor party” Andrés nodded slowly “I want the theme to be casino”

“What bachelor party?” Martín propped himself on his elbows, feeling pretty confused

“Mine of course”

“Why would you have a bachelor party?”

“Martín, sex completely burns out your brain” Berlín laughed “I’m getting married in couple of days, you forgot?”

“Oh” this information landed heavy on Palermo’s heart. He knew he couldn't stop the wedding from happening, that was Tatiana's demand, but still “I thought...”

“Hmm?”

“Nothing” he shook his head, pulling the covers up, suddenly feeling the need to cover himself

“Oh come on now” Andrés pulled it back “You won’t start being a brat about it again, right?”

“No” Martín just shrugged, sitting up and searching for his robe “Of course not”

“And where are you going?”

“My bedroom”

“Martín” Andrés’ voice was low and demanding “Back on the bed”

“No” he finally found his shirt and now was trying to put it on

“I said...” Berlín was at him in two seconds “Back to bed” he pushed him back forcefully so Martín just fell like a doll

“You’re gonna force me now? Like some slave or a hooker?”

Andrés tilted his head to the side and cocked his eyebrow “Please, Martín. Think for once”

Martín shook his head scoffing loudly, but then he just let go, laying back down and throwing his shirt away. He didn’t have the energy to fight with Andrés again “I’m too weak to fight you, is that what you wanted to hear?”

“Maybe” Andrés leaned to touch him but Martín turned away

“Stop”

“Wow” Berlín scoffed, laughing loudly “Guy wants to have you for more than ten years and when you finally give him what he wants, he says no. Unbelievable”

“I’m tired, Andrés” Martín forced himself to smile and it looked pathetic but showed exactly how he felt “I’m tired of hearing the bullshit about your wedding, especially after hours and hours of being intimate with each other”

“But it’s the truth” Andrés shrugged

“I’m so stupid” Palermo lowered his head, biting his lip so he wouldn’t cry

“What did you say?”

“I thought I meant something to you” he sobbed helplessly, giving up on trying to stop it “That maybe my plan was working and you took me as your lover because you...” he couldn’t say it out loud. The rejection would kill him instantly, he didn’t want to hear it “But you still think of me as your toy. Your... Pet, something you keep and use when you’re bored”

Andrés was silent and Martín didn’t take the chance to see if he was looking at him

“How the fuck you intended to keep it up?! You... You, what, you marry her and... And keep fucking me when she doesn’t see?” he knew he was hysterical but he didn’t have control over it anymore

“Martín...” 

“And you think I’m going to spend my whole life being your second choice, your... Garbage?”

“Martín”

“I wish I... I wish I never met you because then I wouldn’t fall for you and...”

“Martín!”

“What?” he cried out, finally looking at Andrés who gently pulled him for a hug. He immediately sank into the embrace, hiding his face in Berlín’s neck and sobbing quietly, holding onto him with all he had in his exhausted body. Of course he did that, and he knew that no matter what would happen, he always will. Because it was Andrés and Martín loved him more than anything and anyone, even himself. 

“You’re hysterical, you need to breathe” Berlin’s calm and steady voice put Martín’s mind at ease in no time but the anger didn’t go away at all 

“Stop playing me” he whispered

“I never did, Martín. I just gave you what you needed”

“You used me”

“You’re tired, _cariño_ , we haven’t slept much lately” Andrés laid down with Martín in his arms and pulled the covers up “You’re exhausted” he started caressing his hair

“Don’t baby me…”

“The thing is, Martín, that you really need me to baby you now”

It turned out to be true because Martín slept for 13 hours and woke up to an empty bed which didn’t really surprise him. He expected Andrés to be with Tatiana but he wasn’t really going to think about it now. He had to focus on his secret mission, especially that he didn’t have much time left. He knew a bit about computer hacking so he already knew how to get to the money, the only hazard was that Berlin will catch him in his office. He had to be extremely careful and make sure Andrés won’t suddenly appear next to him. He stretched and sat down, rubbing his face when he noticed a little note on the pillow next to him. It was written in an elegant handwriting that could belong to only one person:

_“Sergio took me out to choose potential gang for the Mint, we should be back around 4. Hope you slept well, querido. Get some rest because I’m taking you somewhere in the evening  
A.”_

“ _Querido_ … My love…” Martín whispered, keeping the letter close to his heart. After couple seconds though, he shook his head and scoffed “Don’t be stupid, Berrote, he’s just being his elegant and kind self” he folded the paper and took it with him to his bedroom. He tried to ignore his fluttering heart and put his reason on the pedestal, but it was really difficult for some reason. He hid the letter in one of his personal notebooks and started getting ready for a shower, his head busy with thoughts about last night.

After Andrés managed to calm him down, he did everything he could to cloud Martín’s judgement with sweet actions. If it was about Andrés, Martín turned into an oblivious fool everytime, so it worked once again in his friend’s favor. How could he be mad when Berlín was caressing his back, humming him love songs in Italian? Nobody should blame Martín for melting completely, in fact even he didn’t blame himself. His doubts and angry thoughts didn’t disappear but were hidden under a beautiful façade of lovely moments they shared. But it wasn’t real… Or was it? Andrés was taking him somewhere tonight, there was no doubt about that. Was it gonna be a date? What else could that be in their situation?

Nevertheless, he had work to do so he shifted his focus to the plan. He got dressed, took his little handy notebook and quickly made his way over to Andrés’ office.  
Turning the computer on took him no more than a minute. He opened couple of apps and started hacking so ten minutes later he had access to Andrés’ bank account, not the official one, one of the three secret ones where he kept his ‘big’ money. He took a shaky breath while setting up a transfer into an encrypted account he made just for this purpose.

“This is the worst idea ever” he whispered to himself “Why am I even doing this?” his fingers were running over the keyboard, his focus on the screen. Everything was ready.

“You’re done?” Tatiana hovered above him, keeping her gun at the back of his head “Cause I doubt it and you bore me with your whining. Faster”

“It’s not that simple, _carajo_!” Martín cursed, trying not to touch the gun 

“I don’t care”

“Almost done” he wrote couple of commends and watched the numbers move on the screen “Here you go. 5 million euros” his voice was tired “Can you leave us alone now?”

“Stand up” she commanded, waiting for Palermo to turn around “Good _chico_ ” she closed the space between them and pressed the gun to Martín’s crotch “I know Andrés is taking you somewhere tonight. You make sure you’re away at least till 1 am because that’s when my plane is. Understood?”

“Mhmm” Martín just nodded, afraid of his most prized possession at the moment “Can you stop pointing it at my dick?”

“At what?” she raised his brow, hiding the pistol in her back pocket “You’re such a great partner in crime, Martín” she laughed “I wrote a letter to Andrés, you just have to act like you know nothing about it”

“Right” he watched her leave, fumbling with his shirt. He knew it was very poorly made “heist” he committed but he didn’t have time to perfect it, to hide the obvious and place some false clues. He wasn’t stupid, he knew Andrés will find out probably by tomorrow morning. This was a very incapacitating thought and caused him to feel remorse almost the second he stole the cash. Martín scowled, quickly collecting his stuff and bringing them back where they belonged. The storm was coming, he just couldn’t tell how fast and how big it was going to be.

As the date or whatever you would like to call it, Andrés took him to the aquarium. He was fascinated by the fish and other sea creatures whereas Martín had his thoughts spinning around the consequences of his actions. He must’ve zoned out for a long time because he suddenly felt a soft hand messing up his hair with a quiet snicker 

“Back with me?” Andrés looked rather amused. Martín’s lip quivered but he forced a weak smile, his chest heavy

“Yes, I’m sorry” he rubbed his face and leaned into Andrés who pulled him for a hug 

“You look distraught… Something happened? What’s on your mind, _cariño_?” 

“Nothing, I just…” Palermo was a fucking great liar. Remarkable even. But there was no way he could lie to Andrés, he wasn’t able to. Everytime he tried, he sounded like a five-year-old so he worked out a habit of being completely honest with his best friend. This time it wasn’t an option tho

“You don’t like the place?”

“I do! It’s just my head is killing me today” he muttered, looking down at his shoes

“Martín”

“Hm?”

“Look at me” Palermo raised his gaze, feeling an ugly blush creeping its way up his neck “Don’t try that again, hm? I know when you lie and I won’t tolerate it. I am always honest with you and I expect the same, okay?”

“Yes” Martín felt so small he wanted to cry 

“So?”

“We had uhm… a fight. With Tatiana”

“Are you joking?” Andrés sighed with disappointment 

“I know, I know, I’m terribly sorry. It was stupid but I’ve been afraid to tell you because you don’t like when I say bad things to her and this time it got…” he stopped seeing Berlín’s face and shut his mouth

“You’re nervous” Andrés grabbed Palermo’s belt and used it to pull him closer so he could whisper and look him in the eyes “What’d you do?”

“Nothing!” he started sweating, he could feel it

“Last chance, Martín”

“Fine!” he spat out “Fine. I told her to leave and said that if she comes back I will shoot her”

“You said something like that to my fiancée?”

“I’m… very sorry…” Martín was trembling. Andrés was quiet for a long moment but then he laughed. Exactly – laughed.

“ _Dios mio_ , you two are going to be the death of me” his teeth glistened in the dimmed lights and he shook his head. His fingers dipped beneath Martín’s shirt, his presence overwhelming and dominating. Martín went for a kiss, grabbing a handful of Berlín’s hair and getting a hum of approval as a response, forcing his mind to switch to the ‘lust part’ of it. He linked their hips and deepened the kiss, his breath speeding up

“Martín” Berlín’s panting was a nice sign he was into that “We’re in a public place”

“You cannot come so close to me and expect me not to do some nasty stuff” he grinned “I bet the cabins in the restroom are very spacious”

“You think so?” Andrés playfully raised his brow 

“Mhmm”

“We should check”

“We definitely should”

You know how when a hurricane is coming, people take all of these precautions? They buy some extra food, they try to secure the house, keep their families safe – they get ready so when the wind strikes, they won’t go full into panic mode. It’s the best way of getting your survival chances up to high and not go crazy.  
But you know what happens when you have no idea that a hurricane is coming?  
Your house gets blown away like a house of cards and all that’s left is ruins.

Neither Sergio nor Palermo expected this, when they were in the kitchen the next morning chatting about the gang members Sergio had an eye on. Andrés busted into the room with a piece of paper in his hand, looking like a madman “Did you know about this?! Hm?!” he was at Martín in a second “Is this your work?!”

“W… What are you talking about?” Martín held his gaze but inside he was almost crying already 

“Oh, now you don’t know?!” Andrés looked at Sergio “Maybe you did this?! Huh?!”

“Calm down, brother, and just tell us what happened” Sergio tried to calm down the situation as usual 

“Tatiana left, _mierda_! She debased me, humiliated me, didn’t even talk to me, she just left!”

“Maybe she’s just out with her friends…”

“Her clothes and all the stuff are gone!” Andrés was red and trembling all over, Palermo had never seen him like this “And that’s not all! Guess what? Somebody hacked into my bank account and stole money from me! From my fucking secret, secured bank account”

“What? How much?” the shocked, high voice sounded weird in Sergio’s mouth, didn’t suit the look of El Profesor, the genius one. Martín was quiet, not daring to speak, knowing that one word will betray him immediately

“5 million euros. 5 fucking million euros. If I catch the _hijo de puta_ who…” suddenly Andrés went quiet. Martín knew. And so did Andrés. He slowly turned towards Palermo and Martín let out a shaky breath, already panicking “Martín…”

“Y-Yeah?” he didn’t move when Andrés closed the space between them, trapping him at the wall. He saw his friend’s face and it made his blood freeze in his veins. Andrés was fucking scary and Martín felt like there was no getting out of this one “Let me explain…”

“You fucking traitor… You fucking traitor!” he had a gun up Martín’s neck in a split second, his eyes darting towards Sergio who stepped closer to them “Leave the room, little brother. I won’t repeat myself. Leave or I’ll shoot him”

“Okay, okay” Sergio raised his hands “Andrés, I’m leaving. Do not kill Martín, you don’t know what happened…

“OUT!” Berlín screamed, causing his brother to retreat immediately, leaving just the two of them in the kitchen “Now you’re gonna tell me exactly what you did”

“I…” Martín couldn’t stop the tears escaping his eyes but a bullet hitting the wall couple inches from his ear made him talk immediately “I… I paid Tatiana… S-so she left you… and… and so you wouldn’t marry her… and… and I took the money from you… b… because I didn’t have that much” this was his best lie to be honest, the greatest, because he managed to fool a guy who was a master of lies himself. Palermo managed to beat him. The confession was made and now he expected the big hit. Something. A shot, a beating, screaming. Instead Andrés just lowered his gun and took a step back 

“Get out” his voice was ice cold

“Andrés…” Martín’s throat squeezed painfully and he let out a broken sob. He didn’t expect _this_

“Get out. I don’t wanna see you near me”

“Please” he desperately stepped closer and howled in pain when another bullet went his way, this time hitting his arm and shaking him to the core. The blood started dripping and it hurt like hell, but Martín wasn’t going to give up that easily. He wanted Andrés to be mad, for them to have a huge fight and then make up soon after, not this!

“You’re nothing to me” Andrés was looking straight at him “You’re nothing. A piece of garbage. You’re nobody”

“Andrés, I’m begging you!” he cried out, not able to bear such a huge amount of pain at the same time 

“I don’t know you” Berlín turned around and left the room, just like that, as if nothing happened. 

Martín’s broken “NOOO!” was probably heard among the monks at the other end of the monastery. He howled like a wolf until Sergio found him covered in his own blood, spit and tears, and as soon as he lifted him up, Martín threw up onto the floor, not able to stop his body reactions. 

“You have to stand up, you lost lots of blood, come on” Sergio’s soothing voice and strong arm provided enough support for Martín to be able to walk to his bedroom. He was seated and his t-shirt taken off. He watched blankly as Sergio cleaned his wound, stitched him up and washed his upper body with a wet cloth before helping him drink some water

“Leave me alone” he whispered suddenly “Leave me here to die, please”

“That’s not the option, but we can talk so you explain to me why you did what you did”

“Leave me alone” his brain could only process this one sentence at this moment

“Okay then” Sergio helped him lay down and covered him with a blanket “I’ll check up on you later, alright?” when he didn’t get an answer he just nodded to himself and left the room, gently closing the door behind himself. He wanted to talk to Andrés but he wasn’t in the monastery, probably left to blow some steam off. If the situation between Martín and his brother was complicated before then now it was a fucking Enigma and Sergio didn’t have the brain to solve it. The worst part was, that he needed both of them for the heist which now wasn’t really an option. Back in his room he put on some music and smiled bitterly when he heard the line of some Spanish song:

_“Sí que era diferente cuando estabas tú”_

“You couldn’t be more right” he murmured, adjusting his glasses, feeling a headache approaching at the back of his head.


	8. People say you need to learn to suffer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IIFOc1fpHc] - a song from the beginning of this chapter, I really recommend listening to it.
> 
> Honestly, I thought we were getting very close to the end but I got so many ideas I wanna use here that I don't see the end just yet haha. I hope you enjoy this chapter; we get pretty deep into Martín's mind and I'm very proud of that bit so I hope you will love it too

_“Friends and enemies tell me:  
That you are my only problem  
Since you're not with me anymore  
Dedicate this notice to Cupid  
Virgin of grief and danger”_

Palermo blinked slowly, his back aching for being in one position for too long. How long could it be, ten hours, twelve? Days, weeks?

_“Your name is no longer in the dictionary  
And before death there is no life  
If you are my problem and my sin  
I want to escape with you to hell  
Pay my penances by your side  
Without sentence, my life, I condemn myself  
To the jail without doors of your embrace”_

It’s funny how people can shut themselves, right? How they can spend hours upon hours in bed, doing nothing, not eating and drinking. Martín could study it because it was unbelievable. 

_“Looking through the rubble of the past  
I won't find forgiveness. I only have  
The memory of an abandoned car  
The sadness and boredom of the prisoners  
A dinner without wine or guests”_

Sergio put the music on, Martín remembered, when he came to force him to drink some water and check his arm. He was nice, left him alone. The music was alright too as long as it wasn’t about love. How could Martín know, on the other hand, he was asleep most of the time. 

_“I wait for you every night on my return  
To that wasteland that is our bed, even  
After having spent a hundred thousand kisses  
Burning my lips. I accuse myself  
To discover your flesh in other bones”_

The pain was overwhelming and it was the only reason that made Martín crawl towards his cabinet where he kept all of his alcoholic beverages. He took the first bottle he grasped and returned to bed, laying down and taking couple big sips. Whisky. Good, he would pass out pretty quickly. 

A violent gush of awfully cold water brought him back from the dead unexpectedly, making Martín curse and cough, spitting the water out

“Get up” Sergio uncovered the windows and opened them, wincing his nose “Shower, food and we’re doing a meeting”

“Leave me alone” Martín just rolled over, not caring he was soaking wet. Sergio wouldn’t have his shit though, he just treated him with another portion “Fine! Fine, for fuck’s sake, fine! What day it is?”

“It’s been three days” Professor noted politely, handing Martín a towel and fresh clothes “Enough of this, come on”

“I really don’t want to” he said weakly, his voice raspy and breaking 

“I don’t give a crap, our plan won’t fall apart because you decide to play divorce with Andrés” the name triggered Martín, but he tried to brush it off, standing up and heading towards the bathroom. Hot shower felt amazing in comparison to the awful treatment he got from Sergio.

When he walked out there was already a plate with pancakes and a cup of coffee “Eat” Sergio commanded, nodding at him “You need sugar”

“Thanks” Martín should be hungry but he really wasn’t and the only reason why he ate was to please Sergio. Sergio was good to him after all.

“Yes, don’t mention it. We’re having one final meeting before you’re going to meet the people next week or so” he seemed excited and Palermo wished he shared that excitement with him 

“Good” he just said, his eyes on his plate. He finished with some trouble and he immediately felt sick, but he forced a smile and put away the empty plate and cup “Can I take my drink?” he asked

“Sure” Sergio nodded, already deep in his thoughts “Come on” 

Martín grabbed a bottle of rum and followed Sergio upstairs. His legs felt heavy and he got tired after just couple meters. His arm ached, his head was banging and his whole body felt like a trash can. He forced himself to walk though, still, it was Sergio who asked him to be there. He chugged from the bottle and braced himself for the meeting he wasn’t ready for. Sergio opened the door and smiled at his brother, making sure Palermo walked inside as well “Good morning”

“Morning, Sergio” Andrés completely ignored Martín which was like a knife to his chest. This was the worst torture anyone could come up with and Berlín was very aware of that “Ready to go over everything?”

“Yes, yes, okay. Let’s start from the beginning…” Martín just tuned out their voices and focused on the way Andrés’ jacket matched his shoes and how his soft fingers were sliding on the plans and maps. He knew they were soft, he felt it hundreds of times. Rum was burning his throat and he was still drunk from previous night but none of that mattered, right? Who cared whether he robs the Mint or drops dead here and now? Nobody whose opinion Martín valued. 

“Martín…” Sergio’s tired voice pierced Palermo’s ears but he didn’t care to react 

“Why would you even bring this drunk piece of _mierda_?” Andrés’ voice put a smile on Martín’s lips “He’s nobody useful”

“Andrés!” Sergio lowered his voice so only his brother could hear him “We need him and you know it damn well! Stop this stupid game of yours and start working together, the guy will drink himself to death”

“I couldn’t care less” Berlín’s gaze was calm and his voice steady as he answered “So, where were we?”

Martín was in this weird place in his head when he was drunk enough to daydream but not enough to pass out just yet. It created a sensation of safety and warmth he craved so much, allowing him to observe his best friend and just relive the memories they shared together once again. He was halfway done with the bottle, and the brothers apparently in the middle of the plan already when he felt the harsh pain in his body. He grunted quietly, getting a look from Sergio but nothing more. He desperately tried to keep himself steady so he took couple more sips before his body was overflown with a wave of pain on the left side, under his ribs. Martín just slid down from his chair onto the floor, being half conscious. Sergio was at him in no time, checking his arm and just trying to understand what was going on

“Martín, answer me for fuck’s sake! What happened?”

“It… hurts” he just grunted, trembling a lot and feeling like he was about to die here and now. His gaze found Andrés who didn’t move but Martín knew him too well to miss the second his face filled up with anxiety only to go back to nothing right away.

“Where?!”

“H…Here” he placed his hand where his liver was and screamed as another wave of pain hit him

“Okay, slowly, breathe… We should call…”

“No, we shouldn’t call anybody. Let him die like a dog, on the floor” Berlín was back at the table with plans, not bothered at all or so it seemed. Martín let out a sad, broken chuckle and moaned in pain

“I’ve… always been your little dog…” he brought his eyes back on Sergio “Do as he says… Just let me die, why you care”

“Bullshit” Sergio scoffed, angry and helpless “If I see you with a bottle one more time, I will shoot you myself”

“Mhmm” Martín laughed again and passed out.

When he came back to himself, he was still on the floor. The lights were off but he heard some movement and when he coughed, the silhouette appeared closer to him “I’m sorry I didn’t take you to your bed, I couldn’t lift you by myself” Sergio looked guilty but relieved “How are you feeling?”

“Better” it was true, at least on a physical level “Whatever”

“Can you stand up?” Martín could actually. He ignored Sergio’s hand and held himself up with the help of the table “Look, you don’t need to treat me like a piece of shit. I’m your only friend right now and I’m willing to help as long as you let me” Sergio crossed his arms

“Right” Palermo felt guilty “Do you know why… Why I chose ‘Palermo’ as my city name?”

“Tell me”

“Palermo is in Buenos Aires, it’s a neighborhood at Rio de la Plata, beautiful place… It’s where we met the first time” he laughed bitterly “There are two districts close to each other, San Martín and San Andrés*, we met in the fucking middle of them at a restaurant”

“This is…”

“A fucking love story, hm?” Martín felt one, single tear slipping down his cheek as he laughed sadly “I fell for him the second I saw him. I just knew” he shrugged “I tried relationships couple of times but it was pointless. You can’t deny this, not when the names of the places put you two together like that. I was lost when I met him, simple as that. He was a crazy fucker and we clicked like a freaking gun. We played Russian roulette for years and laughed about it. And somewhere in between was my little heart, trapped in feelings that could never be seen. And yet I was so, so happy” Palermo squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head “I would give everything to go back”

“You can fix this” Sergio put his hand on Martín’s arm 

“You don’t get it, Sergio. He’s dying and instead of spending every minute with him, I’m here, drunk and pathetic”

“He’s not dying yet”

“We all are. Some just faster than others”

Standing at the edge of the precipice felt fucking powerful. He knew that it was a fraction of a second, his mere thought, and his life would be over. He wasn’t pathetic or at least he had no desire to be and suicide _was_ pathetic. He didn’t want to be the weak guy, he wanted to show Andrés he could live without him. After all, everything he’d done was to protect him. He sacrificed their relationship to buy Berlín some more time. Who knows, maybe he would die the second they entered the Mint, maybe someone shoots him, maybe he gets out alive… Martín was sure about what he did. It was the right decision and he didn’t regret it even for a moment. The different thing was whether Andrés deserved it or not.

Martín knew him better than he knew himself and it was obvious that Berlín wasn’t some usual guy. He often lacked empathy, he was crazy as fuck, he could be cruel and cold as ice… It just never applied to Martín. Martín was like an exception, someone for whom Andrés was “sweet but a psycho” in this crazy, amazing, passionate way. They robbed shops, jewelry stores and museums together, never got caught, got stupidly drunk and slept on the rooftops. They danced, traveled, fought, make up, almost died couple of times. The two of them against the world. And all the women in between.  
This was always the trigger for Martín but he never, ever said anything. He watched Andrés fall in love, get married, get divorced, flirt, fuck, and so on until the cycle would repeat. He hated these parts but then he loved the ones where they got to be together, only two of them. Wasn’t it tragic? It was like looking for water in the middle of the desert, you think you get close, you feel the overwhelming excitement but again, you fall onto your face into the sand. Every fucking time.

One of the reasons Andrés liked him that much was that he could speak up for himself. When Sergio, or the ladies or people they encountered were always scared-polite, Martín said what he was thinking, he was sassy and brutally honest and he knew Andrés fucking loved that about him. He was the only one who wasn’t afraid to show Berlín where he made a mistake or was wrong about something. It always created this addictive tension between them and Martín lived on that tension. It was the way Andrés’ eyes would widen, his gaze unreadable, this quirky smile on his lips. He was an addict and he needed this in his life. That’s why he never left Andrés’ side, how could he when he was intoxicating, everything about him was calling out to Martín and there was so. Many. Damn. Times. he tried to lure his friend to bed and it never worked, but it just made Martín hungrier, more addicted. He chased something he could never get. More than friends, less than lovers, a fucking rollercoaster without a security belt. Walking on thin ice. Swimming in a pool with sharks. Andrés was dangerous, a madman, who could kill without a blink of an eye, a never-ending fire and yet, _yet_ , Martín decided to play with this fire, no protection, because the burns gave him the feeling of living, the spark of excitement, the hint of arousal. 

Why would he ever want to leave if he had everything he could ever want at the side of Andrés de Fonollosa? Fuck, they even came up with the Bank of Spain heist plan together. Freaking Bonnie and Clyde, living on the edge, escaping death. 

When Martín and Sergio met, they didn’t click like a gun. It was more like a careful, calculated approach, both of them caring for Andrés in different ways, both of them not about to give up.  
Martín grew to love Sergio though. The guy was nerdy, intelligent beyond any measures, great planner and thinker. They actually did click after all. When they weren’t on a run with Berlín, he liked spending evenings with tea, books and Sergio’s company. They talked about music, engineering, science – everything that stroke interest. He was the first person that Martín told about his plan, or more like a very vivid dream to rob a Bank of Spain. Sergio, in return, shared with him the idea of the Mint heist. They shared a secret together, so they were no longer just encounters, they were partners. Later on, they all started calling the plans Andrés’ plans because he got everything ready, he came out with the best ideas and solutions. Both Sergio and Martín were okay with that. 

When they became friends? Martín would guess that it was last year, when he split up with Andrés who got busy with yet another woman and Palermo finally had enough, occupied with dreaming about the biggest heist of a history. He left Paris, the lovely Paris Andrés loved so much, and traveled by himself to the monastery. Sergio wasn’t even trying to ask questions, he gave him time. He listened to the plans, he studied the maps, he thought about ways to overcome the obstacles that could occur. He stayed quiet when couple days later Martín and Andrés were arguing at 3 am, screaming at each other. He stayed out of it when they didn’t speak to each other for days, and he took them for a fancy dinner when they made up. Sergio was a literal angel in Martín’s eyes, but life changed him. He’s been learning Palermo for years, Andrés for his whole life. He studied them days and days, he knew everything about them. He could correlate things together to get to the solution of how to resolve a conflict, his mind ached for things to use his energy for. God, Martín just loved tipping him off by throwing some theory and letting him talk and talk for hours. He was a good company when Andrés wasn’t around.

Yeah, that was another thing. After Martín left Paris, the dynamic of his relationship with Andrés changed. Up to this point, he would follow him everywhere, always, like a dog, but then he realized that there were things he wanted to do. Sergio was so fucking excited when he shared his plans with him, Andrés never listened. He decided on staying in the monastery rather than going with Andrés and his new wife, Lauren or Laurel, whatever. It was the first time since they met when Berlín went for a trip by himself and it felt marvelous. Martín didn’t want to be vicious but it felt like he won something. Maybe a little bit of independence? 

But it all went down the hill soon after. You can’t just stop smoking, drinking or taking drugs and expect not to have any side effects. The same happened to Martín. Longing for the tension, for the hint of want he always felt, it all became unbearable after only couple of weeks. Then the call. He remembered Andrés picking up and his sexy laughter when he heard Palermo’s words. He was in Russia with his girl, no plans for coming back anytime soon, he said. You could join us, he said.

Martín did.

Andrés’ wife left him a month or so later. Martín and Andrés travelled to India together, just the two of them, finally. Martín was bold this time around, he was flirtatious, touched Berlín more often and always got smiles and murmurs as a response. They were once again balancing on the thin edge, more than friends, less than lovers. Martín loved every second if it. He couldn’t stop.

Then Tatiana came in picture. Andrés met her in Rome where they visited right after India. Martín wasn’t even surprised at this point when he noticed the well-known pattern of Andrés falling for her, he just packed and left. Sergio was there for him one more time, proposing opera and wine. Palermo never understood why he was single, he was such a good lad. He never asked tho, because Sergio hated talking about this and Martín respected that. After all, Sergio never asked about Martín’s love and devotion for Andrés. They just accepted each other’s secrets. Palermo was fond of Sergio and he valued their friendship as much as his relationship with Andrés. Sergio never took sides, he didn’t treat Andrés better because he was his brother, he was objective and treated Martín with respect. It was something that didn’t happen very often. Sergio was loyal. Martín didn’t have much loyalty in his life, first his parents that didn’t want him, then every guy he tried with, even Andrés wasn’t loyal in his mind. But Sergio? Sergio was amazing, loyal to the bone, never told Andrés about Palermo’s feelings, never turned him down. Martín put trust in Sergio, even more than in Andrés if he thought about this for longer. If Andrés was the dangerous one, Sergio was a safe base where Martín was able to hide and lick his wounds anytime he needed. 

They shared a mutual secret of pure hate towards every relationship Andrés got himself into. It was like unspoken contract of keeping silence around him and then discussing everything in the dark space of Sergio’s bedroom hours and hours every night. It wasn’t easy to get to Sergio’s mind, but when that happened… It was like diving into the beautiful but undiscovered sea. Martín loved swimming there while simultaneously having huge respect towards the dark waters of Sergio’s genius mind, and Sergio was more than willing to share after he started trusting Martín.

It was kind of sad that Sergio was always the anchor, but never the ship for Martín. He didn’t seem to mind, but he was the best friend Martín could ask for and often he would go to him only when Andrés got busy with someone else other than him. In category of friends he took the first place, undeniably. It wasn’t his fault Martín preferred his crazy, dangerous brother. Things just got this way and Sergio made sure both Andrés and Martín had a steady land under their feet. He was the one to make them fake IDs, create encrypted bank accounts and find plans of the buildings they were about to rob. He was the one who kept Martín safe and it would never be forgotten

“You’re not planning to jump, are you?”

“Nah” Martín shook his head, brutally pulled out from his thoughts. Just as always, Sergio was there for him “I’ve been thinking”

“About what?” Sergio pulled Martín’s sleeve so they walked further from the edge. The sun was setting and it looked like the sky was painted with blood

“You. Andrés. Our history” he was met with silence but he knew Andrés’ brother was listening carefully “I’m kinda lost in life now, but… Yeah, it’s just nice to think sometimes”

“You keep going” Sergio adjusted his glasses, looking at him 

“What?” Palermo raised his brow

“You keep going” he repeated “Remember how I once told you that if you feel like you have enough, you pack your bags and go?”

“Paris” Martín nodded. He remembered very vividly “Yes, I remember. You said you were proud of me when I came here”

“Because I was” Sergio kept looking at him and a sudden thought hit Martín like a train 

“You… You think I should leave” someone else might have thought that Sergio didn’t want him there but they knew each other all too well and Palermo knew exactly what this advice was about 

“You never shut up about Peru. You’ve never been before” Sergio sent him a kind smile “I will get you a fake ID”

“I don’t know”

“Clear your head, travel to Peru, visit your sister in Buenos Aires” he gently put his hand on Martín’s arm “Live”

“I will lose him if I go, right?”

“I heard once that nothing stops true love from joining two hearts together. If it’s real, it will happen, if it’s not… Then why even try?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *about the two districts - this is actually true, you can check by yourselves, I found it by accident and almost died lol


	9. I took too many hits off this memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda insecure about this one, but I'm also very content with how the story is progressing :) I love the Sergio I created here so much that I will definitely include him more, because come on. Who doesn't love out sweet pumpkin Sergio? Also, just letting you know - I'm not sure if I manage to post chapter 10 tomorrow but the following day I will for sure! I might need some more time, clear my head for fresh ideas :)
> 
> As usual, love you for all your sweet comments, they make my day <3

Martín got out of the bus, packed backpack heavy on his arms. He stretched after so many hours of sitting in one place, first on the plane, then on the bus. The weather was incredible, it was hot and dry kinda like at home. He breathed through his nose couple of times and moved forward, looking for some hotel where he could leave his stuff and then go and see as much as he could. He didn’t have to hurry, he didn’t have to go where somebody else wanted him to, he felt free. This was a true fight for liberté, the one he proudly won this time. He didn’t have a phone, only his wallet and some necessary things. He spotted a phone booth so he took some coins and put it in, picking Sergio’s number. His friend picked up after couple long beeps “Yes, hello?”

“Sergio”

“Martín! You’re in Peru?”

“Yeah, actually” he smiled although Sergio couldn’t see “It’s very hot”

“I assume” Palermo could hear him laugh “No trouble with ID?”

“None, you did a wonderful job, thank you”

“Always” there was a short moment of silence before Martín cleared his throat and said

“Anyways, I will call you soon to let you know I’m okay”

“Sure. Watch out for yourself. And go visit your sister, she will be happy about it, I’m sure”

“You are certain that the address you gave me is real? It’s been ten years I’m not sure I will recognize her”

“It’s real, she lives there for sure. Don’t worry about it so much, have fun and relax”

“Right. We should travel together someday”

“You know I’m not much of a traveller” Sergio puffed into the phone “But maybe someday”

“Okay” Martín let out a short laugh “Thanks, hermano” he hung up the phone, smiling softly. He had endless possibilities here in Peru. But taking his sister to Peru with him sounded even better. He just had to brace himself and come back to Argentina.

He took the plane in the morning in Lima and landed in Buenos Aires 4 hours later. His sister’s house was in Belgrano, a district right next to Palermo. How ironic. Belgrano was a commercial hub, quiet residential area, many shops in the centre. Pretty but kind of boring. Palermo, on the other hand, was the largest neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. Home of art, luxurious area, beautiful mansions, remarkable Bosques de Palermo and Jardin Japones. Andrés liked the Palermo Hollywood the most, because of the bars and nice restaurants where he could pick the girls and eat marvellous food. They visited de Museo Nacional de Art Decorativo and then Andrés talked about it for days, he couldn’t shut up. They’ve been to many popular places during the ten days they spent in the beautiful city and they both fell in love with it. Well, Martín also fell in love in it to be specific.

He quickly got himself out of that memory lane and checked the map for direction. He caught a taxi and soon he was on his way to his sister’s house. He hadn’t seen her in years and he wasn’t sure she would even talk to him. Their contact got lost the moment Martín started travelling with Andrés almost all the time. They called each other couple of times but then it just stopped. He didn’t remember the last time he heard her voice which kind of made him feel mad. It was his sister after all.  
The house turned out to be big, spacious and beautiful. There was a large garden surrounding it, a pool on the left and an elegant gazebo on the right. The building had large windows and was painted white. Martín spotted a balcony filled with flowers. He remembered his sister loved flowers. He suddenly got very nervous but forced himself to walk forward until he knocked on her door. They soon opened and he saw a beautiful girl with long, curly hair in a dark color, blue eyes and a beautiful smile. She was holding a baby, around two or three on her hip but she almost dropped it when she recognized the person in front of her "Martín!” she placed the boy on the floor and threw herself at him, hugging him tightly. She smelled like flowers and coffee and Martín just embraced her tightly, hiding his face in her hair.

“Julia” Palermo smiled softly, not letting go of her

“What the fuck?” she moved away to look at him and shook her head, making her hair fly everywhere “It’s been what, 9 years? What are you doing here?” she pulled him back, shocked and already crying

“What’s going on here, cariño? Who’s this?” a guy walked out of the house, standing next to Julia. He was awfully handsome and although Martín was devoted to Andrés, his heart skipped a beat

“This… Felipe, this is my brother”

“So you two haven’t seen each other in almost ten years…” Felipe was shaking his head, looking at his wife and Martín sitting next to each other. They were in the back of the house on a large patio, having iced coffee and trying to understand each other. Martín couldn’t stop staring at the little boy running around

“Is this your son?” he looked at Julia who smiled happily

“Yes, this is Luis. He’s two and a half” she seemed so proud of her little family and Martín’s heart squeezed “Do you… want to talk in private?”

“If it’s alright for Felipe…” Martín bit his lip. Julia’s husband reacted very kindly, taking their son and leaving with a wide smile on his face

“Okay now” Julia turned a little so she could look at her big brother “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“Not really” he shook his head “Not yet”

“Okay” she nodded. They acted like there wasn’t ten years of nothing between them. They always got along pretty well despite the fact that Martín was 11 years older than her. When he left with Andrés, she was just going to college “Is this about Andrés?”

“Yeah. I just…” a broken cry escaped his lips and there he was, sobbing like a baby in no time. Julia looked at him with sadness and just hugged him, caressing his hair. They stayed like this for a very long time but Martín finally felt he wasn’t carrying a stone in his heart

“It’s gonna be okay” she whispered, kissing his forehead “Do you want to stay the night?”

“Actually” he sniffed, sitting back up “I have a proposition for you. I came to visit Peru, my long life dream and I thought that maybe we could… go together? I will pay for everything” he looked at her with hope

“Martín” Julia smiled awkwardly and bit her lip “I have a job, a kid and…”

“I know, I’m not talking long. Couple of days. Please” he sounded desperate

“I will talk to Felipe about it, okay?” she caressed his face “You don’t look good, calabaza”

“I know” Palermo whispered, smiling at the nickname. Only Julia could call him pumpkin and it felt warm on his heart knowing she still did

“Did he break your heart?”

Martín let out a shaky breath “I think he broke much more, Julia”

“And you left to get some mental rest, right?” Julia mixed her martíni with a straw. Palermo nodded, taking a sip of his vodka tonic

“Exactly” they’ve been here for couple of hours already, Martín chose one of the best bars in Peru to have this talk and not be disturbed. He told his sister everything, leaving nothing unsaid, cried couple times but he managed. That honestly made him so proud.

“Martín, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure” he raised his gaze on her

“What do you like about yourself?”

“What?”

“To put it in a different way, tell me 5 things about yourself” she sent him a smile, observing the way he reacted. Martín bit his lip and thought for a moment

“I’m an engineer… I’m Andrés’ best friend… I’m…”

“Stop right here” Julia’s hand found her brother’s and she squeezed it gently “Why do you define yourself by other people?”

“I don’t understand…”

“Look, I’ll put it like this – I’m a psychiatrist. I have a lovely husband and the sweetest son. I love flowers and music. I have an older brother and two best friends. I’m smart and creative. Do you see the difference?”

“No, unless you meant to point out that you’re doing better than me” Palermo smiled bitterly

“No, no. What do you see between those two sentences: ‘I’m Felipe’s wife’ and ‘I have a husband, Felipe’?”

“They mean the same” Martín had a mind for engineering, not psychology

“No. They don’t. Because when I say that I have a husband then even if he leaves me, I’m still me. When you say you’re Andrés’ friend… What happens when you’re not? You’re not yourself anymore? Because you lose a huge chunk of yourself if you define yourself like that”

Martín got quiet. He finally understood what she meant and it hit him like a truck. He had no clue what to do with this but he was sure Julia would provide him with all the info he might have needed.

“You need to understand, big brother…” her voice was warm, soothing, and Martín felt so loved his heart squeezed “…that you can’t get yourself into a love relationship if you don’t love yourself first”

“I love myself” Martín said, looking up and scoffing

“Do you?” she was a psychiatrist after all, there was no bullshitting her “Because in front of me I see a little boy who followed his master for years, then tried to get to the candy he always wanted and then the candy was dropped and now the kid doesn’t know what to do anymore. Martín, what did you do in the last ten years?”

“Traveled… Saw lots of places…”

“You always told me you wanted to be an engineer, where is that? You buried it next to contacting your family? You wanted to have a house in Palermo, you freaking love this place. You never stepped a foot in there after you left with Andrés. Where’s all the self love you’re talking about? Hm?”

“I don’t know” Martín whispered, tears dripping onto the table and into his drink

“Then how can you even try creating a relationship?”

“I know how to be in a relationship”

“Clearly, I don’t deny it. But why did you give yourself up for someone who doesn’t even deserve this?”

“I… I love him”

“In a sick and toxic way, Martín. You have no respect to yourself. You always go and beg like a dog”

“I get called like that a lot recently…”

“That means others see it too. Martín please, let me help you” Julia looked so worried it made Martín feel sick

“You can’t help me, I’m far too deep in shit” she shook his eyes, downing his glass

“I’m not going to make you stop loving Andrés, I’m going to make you love yourself more” she said softly, taking the empty glass from him and caressing his wrist

“How?”

“Do you think you deserve to be loved?”

“Uhm… Yes, I guess”

“I didn’t hear confidence in this”

“I’m sorry”

“For what. For not meeting my expectations? Martín!” her voice was so, so sad “Wake up! You’re so much more than you think of yourself”

“I… don’t feel like it”

“How about we sing some karaoke, hm?” she smiled, changing the topic suddenly “You used to love doing this with me”

“No… No, thanks, uhm…” he shook his head, lowering his gaze

“Okay then, I’ll sing” she stood up elegantly, quick on her feet as she almost jumped to the stage. She whispered something to the dj and soon Martín heard the first notes of the song he didn’t really know.

“Hello, I’m Julie and I’m gonna sing for my hermano tonight” she smiled shyly, moving some hair from her face and singing softly “Your little brother never tells you but he loves you so, you said your mother only smiled on her tv show, you're only happy when your sorry head is filled with dope, I hope you make it to the day you're twenty-eight years old”

Martín felt his heart squeezing. She had a beautiful voice and the lyrics were digging deep into his heart. It kinda felt like she was singing about him. It’s been years since he did more than just humming along to some songs as he was working or driving with Andrés. To be honest, he actually missed singing just a tiny bit.

“You're ripped at every edge but you're a masterpiece and now you're tearing through the pages and the ink”

It was correct. Martín wasn’t broken as he previously thought. He was just ripped at the edges and that? That could be fixed

“Everything is grey - his hair, his smoke, his dreams and now he's so devoid of color, he don't know what it means… And he's blue… And he’s blue” as she finished the whole bar filled with applause. Martín was very proud of his little sister and when she came back to the table, he kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly

“Thank you”

“You get it now?”

“Yes”

“So how about you share your emotions by a song, hm?”

“I don’t know, it’s been too long…”

“Come on, calabaza. You got this”

“Alright” Martín actually had one song in his mind, a sad one but he loved it. And it perfectly showed what he felt in this moment. He stood up and timidly stumbled onto the stage, shaking his head at the dj. He was perfectly sure he didn’t have this song, it was old and not very popular but that’s what made it so beautiful. He stood in the middle, closed his eyes and just sang his whole heart out, no music, just his voice

“I miss you, I tell the air  
I look for you, think of you, feel you, and feel  
that there will be noone like you  
And here I wait, with my little life box  
tired, in darkness, with fear  
and this cold, noone takes it from me.

I have reasons, to look for you  
I have a necessity to see you, hear you, talk to you  
I have reasons, to wait for you  
Because I don’t think there is anyone else in the world who I love  
I have reasons, many reasons  
To ask the wind for you to come back  
even if it is like a shadow  
I have reasons for not wanting to forget you  
because the little slice of happiness, it was you who gave it to me.

The air smells like you, my house falls because you are not here  
My sheets, my hair, my clothes are looking for you  
My feet are like cardboard  
That I drag in every corner  
My bed becomes cold and gigantic  
And in it I get lost  
My house falls again  
My flowers die of sadness  
My tears are puddles  
That fall at my feet  
I send you water kisses  
To make a hole in your soul  
I send you water kisses  
To bathe your body and soul  
I send you water kisses  
So they heal your injuries  
I send you water kisses  
Of those you laughed so much with“

When he opened his eyes, he noticed that everybody is staring at him in complete silence. He also saw that Julie had tears in her eyes but she was smiling so brightly yet so so sad. He bowed and people started clapping loudly, causing him to stop halfway through walking from the stage, his jaw dropping and a loud shaky breath escaping his lungs. This was out of this world, he just sang some old tune and the audience went crazy. Perhaps they didn’t have many singers around here.

“That was so touching” Julie whispered, squeezing his arm as he sat down at their table. Martín sent her a shy smile and sipped from the glass of water that magically appeared in front of him “This verse… uhm… I have reasons for not wanting to forget you, because the little slice of happiness, it was you who gave it to me… I felt that. Right here” she put a hand on her heart “Don’t let anybody take this away from you”

“What?”

“This beautiful, amazing, tender soul of yours. Keep it and take care of it because it’s the most beautiful part of you. The most important piece that makes you who you are. This, Martín, this is you. Remember it, okay?”

“Okay” for the first time in forever he felt okay. Truly okay

“Hey”

“Hey! Good to hear you, how are things?”

“Peru is as beautiful as I expected, even more. I can’t wait to show you the pics, I bought a camera specially for this”

“I’m glad” Sergio’s voice was calm and warm, as usual “And how’s your sister doing?”

“She loves it here, I’m glad we can be here together. By the way, I have a proposition”

“I’m all ears”

“Since our Mint plan is on freeze right now… I thought that maybe… You could join me? Here? Also, my sister really wants to meet you so…”

“Oh, I’m… As I told you, I’m not really a…”

“Sergio” Martín interrupted him impatiently “We’re going to be working our butts off with the heist, don’t you think we could use a vacation before it?”

“I… Hm, I suppose”

“See? So? Will you come?”

“…”

“Sergio?”

“Yes”

“Really?” Martín grinned widely, looking at Julia and showing thumbs up. She smiled back, winking at him.

“Yes, yes. I will just… find a flight and come to your hotel? Where are you staying?”

“The Westin Lima Hotel” Martín said with pride “I already got you a room next to us”

“Oh. You expected me to say yes, didn’t you?”

“I knew I had to get your nerdy ass here” he laughed and heard Sergio let out a chuckle as well “So when can we expect you?”

“In the morning”

“Reservation is for me so don’t say your real name by accident or something”

“Martín”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry” it was hilarious to make fun of Sergio “See ya tomorrow”

“Yes, see you. Give your sister a kiss on the cheek from me”

“Will do” Martín hung up and pressed a soft kiss to Julia’s rosy cheek “Sergio says hi”

“Thanks” she giggled “I can’t wait to meet him, honestly”

“Don’t fall in love” he joked and accepted a hit on the arm “Alright, alright, it was a joke!”

“You allowed this?” Andrés interrupted Sergio’s attempt to pack himself in an organized way. He got stuck with the way his shirts weren’t folded exactly the same and it was bothering him more than it should “You made it happen? Where’s this piece of nothing? And what are you even doing?”

“Oh, you mean your best friend” Sergio nodded knowingly, ignoring the last question “Yes, I happen to know where he is. Far away from you”

“He has to be back by tomorrow morning” Andrés said in a serious tone “We have shit to do about the heist”

“He won’t be back” Sergio remained calm, finally figuring out how to pack his shirts so they were folded exactly the same. His OCD calmed down immediately as he succeeded.

“He will be if I say so”

“I doubt it. He doesn’t have a phone on him”

“So you did help him” Andrés shook his head “Another traitor”

“Would you pull your head from your bottom for once?” Sergio got irritated. The trip was stressing him out and Andrés’ behavior tipped him off even more “You’re not his master”

“Of course I am” his brother sat on the bed observing Sergio “You’re going somewhere?”

“As you see”

“Where?”

“Somewhere”

“You’re going to meet with him, hm?” Andrés laughed and it was cruel and cold and Sergio hated every second of it “Pathetic”

Sergio knew better than to speak up and dig into a pointless discussion so he just focused on packing more clothes and other stuff like a toothbrush. He could never forget a toothbrush.

“I thought you were smarter, Sergio. Now you ally with a traitor. Good, good, amazing. Shows you’re very trustworthy” Andrés continued and Sergio kept ignoring him “We are brothers, you should stand by my side”

“Will you shut up? I can’t think” Sergio was biting his lip, having lots of troubles with fitting his ties in the suitcase. Andrés watched that with an amused smile but didn’t go as far as making fun of his brother. He had a soft spot for him since he was born and he never allowed himself to cross some lines.

“If he expects me to look for him, I won’t”

“He doesn’t. He actually expects you to leave him alone”

“Fair enough” Berlín stretched on the bed, laughing at Sergio’s hiss when he laid on one of his ties “When will you be back?”

“Soon”

“Mysterious” Andrés rolled his eyes “Will you bring me something?” he said in a mocking way “Please!” he noticed with pride how Sergio’s lips quivered in a small smile he so desperately tried to hide in a very pathetic way

“You fuckin moron” he said, making Andrés laugh loudly. Sergio gazed at him and started giggling too and soon they were both crying from laughter, wiping the tears from their faces and barely breathing from the lack of air. It was such a heartwarming moment and Sergio couldn’t remember the last time they had a laugh like this.

“So where are you headed?” Andrés asked, laying on his side and holding the suitcase so Sergio could zip it

“South America” he said casually and froze seeing how Berlín’s face dropped “What?”

“Is he there? Tell me!”

“What?” Sergio was confused. His brother gripped his sleeve, his eyes showing desperation “What are you talking about?”

“Is he in Palermo? Please, tell me”

“No” Sergio’s voice was delicate “He is not in Palermo”

“Oh” Andrés cleared his throat, letting go of Sergio and looking away. Sergio bit his lip, considering telling him for a second but deciding against it

“You can talk to him if you want”

“No!” the answer came too fast, too harsh

“Okay” Sergio knew his brother very well and he knew exactly what was going on inside his head “Let me know if you change your mind”

“I won’t”

“That’s okay too” his hand landed on Andrés’ arm “By the way, if you listened to him at least once you would know where he is”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Julia's song: Halsey - Colors  
> Martin's song: Bebe - Razones [A Capella] (I SO RECOMMEND listening to it. It is so freaking beautiful)


	10. I have reasons for not wanting to forget you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to post today but not only I am posting but also this chapter is 4012 words and it's the longest so far *mind blown* I like this one a lot, especially because we're getting more Sergio. Honestly at this point, I could marry Sergio, he's such a cutie pie.
> 
> The alternative title for this chapter is "Sergio 'Did I Pack My Toothbrush?' Marquina" Anyway, enjoy!

“Do you have everything?” Andrés gazed at Sergio, seeing his brother nervously fumbling with his tie

“Ask me one more time and I’ll go crazy” Sergio breathed heavily “I’m not sure if I packed my toothbrush…”

“ _Hermanito_ ” Andrés rolled his eyes “You packed _three_ ”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. And even if you forgot something, which I’m positive you haven’t, you can buy it”

“Right, right” he nodded, clearing his throat

“Here you go, your passport, ID and the ticket” Andrés smiled, handing him the documents. He didn’t look at the ticket to see the destination. A part of him really wished to know but he silenced it easily

“Thank you” Sergio still seemed nervous “Are you sure you don’t wanna c…”

“I really, really don’t” he pulled his brother for a quick hug and kissed his cheek “See you soon, have a safe flight, you know the drill. Go”

“You’re sure you’re gonna be alright?” Sergio sent him a questioning, concerned look. Andrés smiled and nodded his head, pushing his brother towards the gate

“You’re going to be late”

“Don’t do anything stupid!”

“So don’t you”

Andrés came back to the monastery, stumbling upon couple monks but not in the mood for talking this time. The huge building was quiet and empty without its residents and Andrés, while loving his alone time, felt a little uneasy. Sergio had never traveled if he didn’t really have to and now he went as soon as Martín called for him. Wow. He let Martín wrap him around his little finger, how sad and stupid. To be honest, Berlín didn’t like forced loneliness because he wasn’t the one making a choice. He liked telling people to stay away whenever he wanted but now, for the first time it was just the opposite. And since when his brother was such a rebel? 

To be fair, Andrés had stuff to do, he just didn’t want to do them. For couple of hours he wandered around the place, carefully walking past Martín’s room without giving the guy even a tiny thought. He was still mad at himself for asking Sergio about Palermo, because he didn’t really care about it. He just asked to be polite, right? He was a gentleman, even towards his brother. Martín could be wherever and he wouldn’t care at all. At all.

Even if he was in Palermo, then what? It was just a city, he had every right to be there. Of course he would probably start missing him soon and come back with his tail sweeping the floor, he couldn’t live without Andrés. There was no way he could stay away for longer. Even when he left Paris alone, they were separated for like five days only. Andrés expected Martín to be back by the end of this week. 

South America. Maybe he actually went home, back to Argentina? What for? His sister? What was her name… It didn’t matter. Andrés was aware that Martín hadn’t spoke to her for a decade, he doubted she would even look at him. The truth was that Martín had only him and Andrés knew that without him poor Palermo was alone. Completely alone.

Not that he cared, the bastard is a liar and a traitor, Andrés hated him. He completely didn’t care what was happening with him. At all. The weird, tight feeling in his chest was probably lack of some vitamins or something. He would have to take better care of his diet.

Sergio was sweating the second he left the airport in Lima. First reason for it was that it was hot and airy, it was hard to breathe, and the second reason – he was just nervous. It was 7 in the morning and he had some time left for the bus that would take him to a hotel, so he directed his steps towards some café he spotted. He sat down inside, blessing the owners for working AC, wiped his forehead with a handkerchief and looked at the menu. When a waitress came to take his order, he asked for iced coffee and a permission to use the restroom. She gladly agreed, showing him where it was. Sergio quickly went to use it and when he came back, he pulled out an old phone from his case and picked a number, hoping that his brother was already awake

“What!?” he wasn’t apparently

“It’s me” Sergio said apologetically “I’m sorry I woke you up”

“ _Hermanito_ ” Andrés’ voice softened “You landed safely?”

“Yes, actually, I have. I just wanted to let you know”

“I’m glad. Listen, do you have any knowledge about medicine?”

“Why?” that surprised Sergio a lot

“I have this weird feeling in my chest, this… squeezing”

“Uhm… when did it start?”

“After our conversation yesterday” Berlín sounded irritated. Sergio smiled widely, shaking his head. His waitress put his coffee in from of him, sending him a warm smile. He mouthed ‘thank you’ and focused back on his brother

“I actually have something that could help you”

“Okay?”

“Talk to Martín”

“ _Dios mio_ will you stop?”

“Andrés, nothing bad is happening to you, you’re just longing for him”

“Excuse me?”

“Yes, longing. Missing. Whatever you want to call it” Sergio explained, met with sudden silence on the other side of the phone “Andrés?”

“Sorry, I had to sit not to die from your bullshit” 

“Why are you being so mean? I’m trying to help you”

“No, you definitely are not. Stop trying to fix something that can’t be fixed”

“Just talk to him”

“I don’t talk to traitors”

“Andrés…”

“Sergio”

Sergio sighed, giving up “Alright. Nevermind”

“Just… see if he has someone”

“Why?”

“I want to know if he’s a whore as well” Andrés tried to sound cruel but there was something in his voice that completely changed the meaning of the question 

“Take it easy, Andrés” Sergio said, putting the phone away. He thanked the waitress and sipped his iced latte, looking outside. He was lost in thoughts, thinking about different stuff until it was time for his bus. He paid for the drink, took his suitcase and went towards the bus stop. 

The hotel itself was marvelous and Sergio’s jaw dropped when he saw the lobby. He was pointed to the right direction and soon he was knocking at Martín’s hotel door after leaving his suitcase in his room. Martín opened the door dressed in shorts and white linen shirt and grinned seeing his friend “Sergio!” he pulled him for a tight hug “So good to see you!”

“You too” Sergio hugged back, uncomfortable in his formal shirt and a tie but he was happy to see Martín 

“How was your flight?”

“Alright, they had amazing lychee juice”

Martín giggled at that “Do you wanna change? It’s hot as hell”

“Yes, I think I do. Where’s Julia?”

“In the shower. Come to our room when you’re done”

“Okay” Sergio went back to his room and opened his suitcase. He found a thin, khaki shirt with sleeves barely reaching his elbows and white pants to his knee. It was so much better and he already felt more confident. He went back to Martín’s room and immediately bumped into a beautiful woman in a flowery dress, brushing her wet hair 

“Oh! You have to be Sergio!” she ignored his hand and hugged him “I’m Julia, nice to finally meet you!”

“Sergio. Mutual pleasure” he smiled at her “Martín told me a lot about you”

“He never shuts up, right?” she smiled kindly “He talks about you all the time too”

“How nice of him”

“I agree” Julia put away the brush “We were planning on going to Punta Hermosa beach today for couple of hours, what do you think?”

“Oh… That’s a very good idea. I feel like I’m in the grill”

“Right” her laugh was clear and honest “Well, Martín leaves the shower and we can go. I was thinking of stopping for some breakfast, I figured you might be hungry”

“That would be awesome, thank you. I’m gonna take some stuff and join you”

“Of course!”

Sergio sent her a smile and came back to his room once again. He took his small backpack and started thinking what could be useful on the beach. His swimsuit for sure but he was already wearing in underneath his clothes. Sunscreen. Yes, that is necessary. Sunglasses. A towel… 

“Sergio?” Martín’s hear poked through the door “You’re ready? Julia said you went here 25 minutes ago… what are you doing?”

“Uh…. Packing for the beach?”

“Sergio…” Martín started laughing softly “Come on, _amigo_ , you don’t need much. Besides Julia’s a girl and girls always have everything packed. Relax” he grabbed his shoulders and shook him gently “Loosen up”

“Sorry” Sergio smiled sheepishly and took his backpack “I’m ready”

“Amazing. Let’s go”

After the best breakfast in his entire life, they went to the beach. Sergio was speechless when he saw how beautiful the whole place was, how soft the sand felt and how the water sparkled in the sunlight. What he also spotted was Martín’s face everytime he noticed couples in love holding hands or kissing. That sight pulled Sergio’s heart painfully. He wanted him to have the same thing and he felt awful he couldn’t help.   
All three of them undressed and covered themselves in sunscreen, chatting about the food they ate a moment ago. 

“ _Dios mio_ , Sergio” Martín gasped, seeing him shirtless “I had no idea you had a six pack?”

“Oh, uhm… I work out” Sergio looked like a tomato what made Julia laugh loudly

“You were right, brother, he’s adorable”

“Don’t make fun of me” Sergio murmured, blushing even more. They walked towards the water and Martín grabbed his sister, throwing her into the waves. She squeaked happily, throwing water at them both. Soon they were swimming, splashing at each other and having the best fun ever. They stayed on that beach till sunset and then went to some beach club for drinks and some dancing. Martín was shocked how relaxed Sergio was and how openly he was joking around and talking. It was nice to see him like this for once. 

When they came back to the hotel, Julia excused herself saying she’s too tired to do anything more and went to sleep. Martín and Sergio went to the balcony in Sergio’s room to talk in private, just the two of them 

“How are you doing?” Sergio asked with care, looking carefully at Martín 

“Better” he nodded with a sigh “Not perfect but better 

“Good. Being here helps?”

“Yes, of course” Martín sipped his wine and drifted into his thoughts for a moment. Sergio didn’t interrupt, he just waited for him to talk again “And you? You enjoy Peru?”

“So far, yes. It’s really beautiful and your sister is a very nice person”

“I told you” he smiled and bit his lip “How is… you know?”

“He’s alright” Sergio nodded, observing how a smile disappeared from Martín’s face “Confused, I think”

“I’m glad he’s okay” he nodded “Did he… ask about me?”

“He asked if you were in Palermo” Sergio decided not to lie to him, he deserved the truth. Martín nodded slowly and sighed

“You told him?”

“I just said you’re not in Palermo”

“Thank you”

“Obviously”

“He still doesn’t want to talk to me?” 

Sergio shook his head “Please, don’t put yourself down because of this. Please. You’re so much more than that”

“Right” Martín whispered and leaned forward. Sergio opened his arms for a hug but he froze when Martín’s lips linked with his in a soft kiss. He smelled like sea water and champagne and Sergio was too shocked to try to stop. Martín broke it only a couple seconds after and stared at his friend in horror “Shit. Fuck. I’m… Sergio, I’m so fucking sorry… I didn’t mean to… fuck” he turned his back to him, hiding his face in his hands. He felt so stupid now, who does these kinds of things? 

“Hey” Sergio put a hand on his arm “Martín, nothing happened. It’s okay” he caressed his back “Look at me”

Martín did

“You’re in pieces. I get it. Nothing happened, we’re all good”

“I didn’t… mean to”

“It’s okay, I know” Sergio pulled him for a hug and Martín gladly accepted it, relaxing in his arms. They stood like that for a long period of time before Sergio gently pulled away and smiled “We’re good, brother”

“Thanks” Martín whispered, smiling back timidly. 

He stayed in Sergio’s room for the night, too exhausted and shaky to leave his side. They laid together in Sergio’s bed in silence, Martín deep in his thoughts. He still felt a little stupid but he was slowly getting overwhelmed with sadness. He loved Sergio being here but he was a painful remainder of something he lost so suddenly. Martín was tossing and turning, not able to fall asleep. His mind was racing and the idea of snatching Sergio’s phone to call Andrés was intoxicating. Fortunately Sergio woke up around 2 am, looking at Martín pacing the room

“Hey” he whispered, sitting up “What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry, did I wake you up?” Martín whispered back, stopping suddenly

“No, no, it’s fine” Sergio slipped out of bed, approaching the balcony and gesturing for Martín to follow. The night was warm, the sky clear and the stars were visible and looked beautiful, like glitter. Palermo thought of the night when Andrés told him he was sick. It was a moment that brought them close, closer than ever and it was a beautiful memory, one of many he had with his best friend. Now it only caused him terrible pain in his chest “Does that happen a lot?”

“Hm?” he turned his head to Sergio, taken aback 

“Your insomnia”

“Yeah…” Martín admitted “I barely sleep”

“Julia knows?”

“No” he shook his head “I don’t want to worry her”

“Do you wanna talk about it? I guess you avoid this subject but… sometimes it helps to talk about it”

“I really feel better about myself. I know I deserve some respect and I shouldn’t let Andrés treat me like nothing. I know I’m worth so much more… But… I just miss him, you know?” Martín smiled sadly “It’s not fair that he treated me like that…”

“Why?”

“Because…” he almost said it. He almost told him the truth but then he remembered that Tatiana was still a threat and hell knows what she could do “Because I love him. And I thought he loved me to… Or was on a right path to start loving me…”

“Why did you do this, Martín? Why did you pay Tatiana to leave?”

Martín shrugged. He didn’t want to lie to Sergio but he also couldn’t tell the truth. He didn’t want anyone to know about the phone call he received couple hours before he left to Peru. Tatiana made sure he kept his mouth shut. Only Julia knew, but Julia was trustworthy and Martín knew she would never betray him “I guess I just was that desperate”

“It will be fine between you two, I’m sure. He will get over this in some time”

“I can’t stop thinking, Sergio. Julia is teaching me all this self-love stuff but I can’t stop thinking about Andrés. I would gladly let him tear me to pieces if only I could talk to him”

“I get it”

“The worst part is that I know I have to come back and we have to proceed with the plan and still, after everything, I would give my life for him and he knows it… And he wouldn’t even care if I died”

“He would”

“No. He wouldn’t”

“Please, Martín. Don’t make him a heartless bastard, he’s not that bad” Sergio smiled “I know my own brother”

“Fine” Martín agreed, no strength in him to keep fighting 

“Have you ever tried boxing?”

“What? No, why would I?” Martín looked surprised

“Well, it works amazingly for negative emotions, how about I teach you tomorrow?”

“Really?”

“Yeah, sure. I love boxing and I could use a sparing partner back at home anyway”

The next morning they spend all with Julia before she had to go back home. She spent 4 days with Martín but she couldn’t take more days off. They drove her to the airport and Martín hugged her for a long, long time, promising to call her often and visit her from time to time. He didn’t tell her about the Mint, there was no need for it, she surely watches the news daily. Sergio hugged Julia and kissed her hand, making her blush a little. She waved them goodbye and left for her plane, sending them air kisses. 

Then they found a place for boxing and Sergio spent two hours teaching Martín the basics and letting him mindlessly hit the bag for fifteen minutes before Palermo fell on the mat and cried like a baby. It cleared his head though so he was very glad it happened. He felt there was strength in him to fight his fights, both physically and mentally. He was able to move forward and although sticky with sweat, he was grinning widely, high with happiness. They showered after, singing ‘Senorita’ together and giggling like little kids when they heard someone walk into the shower on their left. After their training they stopped by some café for ice cream and coffee. As they made their order Sergio’s phone beeped and he picked up, his face puzzled

“Hi” he listened to the person on the other side carefully. Martín didn’t hear the convo but he recognized the voice almost immediately 

“Is this Andrés?” he looked like it was life inside him again “Is it?” Sergio nodded and Martín’s face beamed “Can I talk to him? Please, Sergio…”

“Wait a second, Andrés” Sergio said, slowly reaching his hand with the phone towards Martín. Palermo took it, shaking all over and put it to his ear

“Sergio, you there? Hm?” he felt tears gathering in his eyes at the sound of his voice

“Andrés, it’s Martín” he said quietly, barely keeping himself from crying. He was met with silence “Please, Andrés, please… Talk to me…” 

“Give the phone to Sergio”

“Andrés…”

“What do you want? We don’t have anything to say to each other”

“I miss you” a broken sob escaped Martín’s lip so he quickly covered them with his hand 

“It’s your fault”

“I know…”

“Good. Now give the phone to Sergio”

“C-Can we… talk? Later? Please… call this number in the evening…”

“Which part of “give the phone to Sergio” you didn’t get?”

“Fine” he whispered, almost throwing the phone onto the table and quickly standing up. He found his way to the bathroom and closed himself in one of the cabins, sobbing quietly. Sergio watched as he ran while softly asking

“What happened?”

“Sergio. Never do this again. Don’t make me stop trusting you”

“He is broken, Andrés. He doesn’t sleep. Just couple words, is that so hard?”

He heard his brother sigh loudly “You’re whining”

“Please. For me”

“Five minutes of my time”

“Perfect. Amazing. But please, be at least a little nice. Hm?”

“Fine, fine. Catch up with you later”

When Martín came back from the restroom, he almost looked like nothing happened. Only his eyes were a bit red but he hid it with a forced smile “Thanks for waiting”

“Of course” he smiled at him “Andrés will call you in the evening”

“Really?” the hope and joy in Martín’s voice made Sergio sad “Thank you so much!” he hugged his friend tightly, sniffing softly 

“You’re welcome. I won’t disturb you”

“Sure. Ready to go?”

Martín was pacing the balcony, the phone slippery in his sweaty hands. He was nervous about this call, he didn’t know what to expect but he was crazy happy that it was at least going to happen. That was already a lot for him. When the phone finally beeped, he was almost having a heart attack. He picked up immediately, not caring that Andrés would know he waited. He did wait after all 

“Hey” he greeted him quietly, closing his eyes

“Martín” Andrés’ voice was deep and calm, making Palermo’s heart beat twice as fast 

“Thank you for calling me”

“Sergio made me”

“I know” Martín bit his lip “H-How are you?”

“Pleasant, thank you. How’s the weather?”

“It’s… beautiful. Very hot. Sergio keeps whining that he can’t breathe” he managed to smile 

“He likes it there, my little brother”

“Correct” there was silence between them as Martín was afraid to ask anything “He relaxed, that’s for sure” they weren’t talking about Martín, Andrés never asked, but it was alright. They could talk about the stupidest thing ever as long as Martín could hear his voice “You’re still working on the plan?”

“Yes, indeed, I’m completing the files about our gang members. We still have to choose” Andrés said ‘we’ and Martín beamed with happiness 

“Right, yes… Sergio will be back soon I think”

“And you?” it was the first question about him Andrés asked and it made Martín’s heart squeeze and took away his ability to speak “Hm, Martín?”

“I don’t know” he finally whispered, keeping the phone close to his ear “I really miss you”

“That’s the price you pay for your mistakes”

“I did this for you”

“For me? You ruined my future marriage… for me”

“You won’t understand” god, if he only could tell him they would be in love again like nothing happened “Can I ask you something?”

“You just did”

“Did you fall for me? Did my plan work?”

“Does it matter? You ruined everything we ever had”

“You shot me”

“Because you betrayed me, Martín”

“Say it again, please…”

“What?”

“My name”

“Stop. Just stop”

“I can’t. That’s my whole problem, I can’t. I would give everything up so we could at least be friends again”

“It’s over”

“I will never believe you just stopped caring about me, Andrés. I know you”

“Then you know I hate traitors”

“S-so… now what?”

“Well, you come back, we are polite to each other… Like business partners”

“I don’t know if I can do this”

“You have to. For the plan and for Sergio”

“Will you… will you ever forgive me?”

“Business partners, Martín. Suits, plans, formal meetings”

“Okay” Martín knew he lost. He sniffed quietly and swallowed the tears that threatened to escape “As you say”

“I’m glad we agree on this. We’re going to be acting normal and talk to each other as long as you stay on the business side. If you cross the line, we’re done. Forever. Do we understand each other?”

“Yes”

“Good” he could hear Andrés smile “I’m glad we reached the agreement”

“Can we talk tomorrow too?”

“Yes, of course we can. If you play by the rules”

Martín smiled widely “I will. I promise”

“Alright then. Goodnight, Martín”

“Goodnight, Andrés” he heard the beep of the call ending and held the phone to his chest, closing his eyes. They will talk tomorrow. It was a win, after all. He came back inside the room, handing the old cell to Sergio “Thanks”

“How did it go?”

“Amazing!” he giggled, laying down “He will call tomorrow”

“Really?” Sergio was suspicious “What did you talk about?”

“He said we’re going to be talking and stuff as long as I keep the business side of it”

“I don’t quite understand”

“Business partners, suits, plans and official talks”

“Martín…” Sergio closed his eyes and sighed “You really think you will be able to act official around him?”

“Sergio” he looked straight into his eyes “I will do everything to be able to be close to him”

“And… what about respecting yourself?”

“It’s here. Right here. I chose to play by his rules because I know I can”

“I’ll always be here to pick up the broken pieces of you, but you might not be able to find them all”

“Bullshit” all it took was a little moment of kindness to make everything Martín learned go “poof”


	11. One - don’t pick up the phone, two - don’t let him in, three - don’t be his friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a rollercoaster but we're only just speeding up and I'm not sorry at all! Enjoy!

“You’re out of your mind! You’re being cruel! Don’t you understand that he can’t act all business around you? Fuck, Andrés, he’s in love with you for fuck’s sake!”

“Then he will have to get used to it because that’s how it’s gonna be now” Andrés was calm and that pissed Sergio off even more. He made sure Martín was asleep and the balcony door was closed before hissing

“You’re gonna break him!”

“No, I’m going to _mold_ him”

“You disgust me”

“Oh really? You expect me to throw myself at him like nothing happened?”

“He can’t stop talking about you. He told me he wants to go to Palermo for a ‘business trip’ with you” he heard Andrés taking a sharp breath and not answering. He knew he had him 

“He… said that?” it was the second time Sergio heard Andrés’ voice so shaky. The first time was when he told him about his sickness. 

“Couple of times” when Andrés stayed silent, he continued “Give him another chance, Andrés. He put up with you for years, now you can forgive him this one thing”

“Palermo…” Berlín’s whisper was barely audible

“What about it? Martín once told me you met there and that he fell in love with you there”

“Did he tell you why?”

“No?”

_Palermo, 2009  
“I can’t believe you know all this shit” Andrés put away his wine glass and shook his head _

_“I love engineering, you see, it’s easy when you’re passionate about it”_

_“And you can use it for robberies, wonderful”_

_“Exactly” Martín smiled at him, finishing his glass. They were sitting on the rooftop, outside the apartment they rented yesterday. They met only a week before but immediately clicked and Andrés proposed living together for the rest of the trip. So they moved “Fuck, the sunset is beautiful”_

_“So are you” Andrés teased, giggling when he saw the blush on Martín’s cheeks. They flirted a lot but it was just for fun, nothing serious about it. At least not for Andrés_

_“The sun is hiding because it can’t stand you being so hot” Martín murmured, leaving his new friend speechless_

_“You win” Andrés gasped, totally shocked. It was cheesy but nobody ever told him something like that._

_“Yeah? And what do I win?” he leaned closer, causing them both to giggle. Andrés licked his lips and provocatively parted them. Martín didn’t need to be told. He just went for it._

_The kiss was subtle, gentle but full of passion and Andrés felt himself going boneless. When they parted, he cleared his throat and quickly said “I like women”_

_“Sure” Martín smirked, moving away “I just collected my prize”_

“So you have more romantic history than I thought” Sergio hummed

“Yes… Palermo is… Very important for both of us”

“Maybe he hopes that you can start all over again there”

“Sergio?”

“Hm?”

“I have to go” Andrés hung up faster than he blinked and he sat on the bed. His chest was squeezing tightly and he felt like… crying. He only felt like this couple of times in his life, one of them when he saw Sergio’s face after he told him he was dying. It was unusual and uncomfortable for him and made him want to throw everything away, take his passport and go see Martín wherever he was right now. He knew he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep tonight, he knew Martín would be occupying his head until he goes crazy. He started pacing his room nervously, trying to reason to himself but nothing was working. Why did he mention Palermo, why?

When he finally laid in bed he made a decision. If he still thinks about Martín when he wakes up, he will go there. If not, he will stay here.

He managed to stay still for half an hour 

“Sergio? Sergio when you get this message… Please, I know where you are”

Martín had a very good mood the next day. They went to some museum but instead of focusing on art, he couldn’t stop talking. He talked about everything and Sergio was glad to listen, he was bubbly, smiling widely. Everything because of one small phone call. Sergio couldn’t stop thinking how he will react when Andrés will appear in their hotel door. He was trying to imagine it but he wasn’t sure what to expect of both Andrés and Martín. How will they react? How will they talk with each other? Won’t they kill themselves?

“Sergio, you’re listening?” Martín pulled his sleeve, slightly offended

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry. Listen, will you stay in the room tonight? I want to go to one place”

“Mysterious” he giggled “Of course I can, no problem. Where are you going?”

“I had an idea about the heist but I need to check it in the field”

“Why alone?”

“Safety”

“Fair enough. Julia called me” he rolled his eyes “She put some oil into my head I think”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm, she told me not to be an attention whore… And she’s kinda right. She said the whole business thing is stupid and told me not to be a dumbass. So I decided that the next time Andrés calls which is tonight, I’m going to tell him that it won’t work. You know, I’ve been thinking and actually this is exactly what you told me about true love, that it will always join two hearts if it’s real… So I thought that yeah, that’s right, Andrés has to try too, why only I have to do what’s right and leave the consequences for him? If we’re meant to be together then somehow it has to happen. Also, I came to realization I have to have some respect for myself, it’s been hard these past few days but I think I’m finally at peace with myself”

Sergio nodded, feeling droplets of sweat gathering on his forehead. Shit. There would be no call and he wasn’t sure if Palermo is strong enough to tell all of this straight to his brother’s face. Martín continued talking and Sergio kept listening, both in their own, private worlds. The day went by as usual and after dinner he tried to let Martín know that he would gladly come home already. Martín seemed pretty sad but didn’t argue and they even went to the library in the hotel to check the flight in two days from today. 

“I love it here, but I already miss home and I think you should have some time for yourself” _and Andrés_ Sergio added in his thoughts

“You’re right. I’m so glad you agreed to come, honestly” Martín smiled at him “You’re the best friend one could have”

“Oh please” Sergio blushed, looking away but smiling widely. It was such a sweet compliment. When they left the library, he took his backpack and told Martín not to wait because he would be back late. Martín didn’t ask, he just saluted him, fixed himself a martíni and went to the balcony to relax. A though of getting himself a boy crossed his mind but he decided against it. He pulled out a book about engineering he borrowed from the library and dived in, happy to be reading about the things he loved. Around 9 pm he heard gentle knocking on the door. He frowned, walking towards the door and wondering if cleaning girls really had to work that late here. He opened them and totally froze. He couldn’t believe his own eyes, he was sure he fell asleep with the book probably on his face and how he’s dreaming.

“Hello, Martín” Andrés looked so fucking sexy in his black linen shirt and matching beige pants that Martín stopped breathing. He felt the whole world spinning and that reminded him of the importance of taking breaths but he still was sure it was a hallucination “Are you alright?”

“Andrés” the name felt sweet on his lips, slippery. Perfect 

“Can I come in?”

“I…” Martín almost said that he would love to but then he heard Julia’s voice inside his head. He knew that letting Andrés inside would mean being alone in a bedroom with huge, comfortable bed and Martín wasn’t sure his control was _that_ good. He shook his head slowly “I would rather not”

“How about a walk then? Show me some Peru?”

“Okay” Martín bit his lip, turning around and mindlessly fixing his hair. He grabbed his wallet and door key and followed Andrés to the elevator. He still couldn’t wrap his head around the thought that Andrés was actually here, he wanted to know how that even happened. They entered the cabin and Martín pressed the 0 button, swallowing harshly the moment the door closed. The air was filled with electricity and he needed to be careful not to look at Andrés, afraid he might break “What are you doing here?”

“You mean why I came to you, or how I found you?”

“B…both” Martín’s voice shook “But first, how you found me? Sergio told you?”

_1 day earlier  
“You know where we are?” Sergio called him in the morning when Martín went to shower_

_“Peru. He always talked about Peru. I listened, Sergio, I did, I know you’re in Peru. Am I right?”_

_“Why do you want to know?”_

_“So you are? Where exactly? Lima? Of course Lima, Martín loves big cities and water, it has to be Lima”_

_“What are you doing, Andrés?”_

_“Booking a plane”_

_“What?!” Sergio choked on the water he was drinking_

_“Lima or not?”_

_“Yes, but… Wait, why?”_

_“I need to see him, do you get it? I need to understand what’s going on”_

_“You’re going to boss him around?”_

_“No… Yes… I don’t know, okay? Sergio please, just… I’ll be there around 9 tomorrow, please just leave the building okay?”_

_“Fine, fine, calm down”_

_“I can’t, I haven’t slept the whole night and I’m on my third espresso”_

_“It’s 9 am”_

_“Exactly”_

_“Okay, don’t do anything stupid, your papers are in my office”_

“You knew” Martín whispered, ready to melt right there and then 

“Of course I did” they reached the level 0 and walked out of the elevator “So where will you take me?”

Martín finally dared to look at him “You’re hungry?”

“I might be”

“Okay then” he nodded at the building very close to them “There’s the restaurant called Maras, they have amazing food”

“Lead then” they walked there in complete silence but once seated Andrés said softly “You look good. Caught some sun, I see”

“You should see Sergio” Martín laughed quietly

“I’m not asking about Sergio” Andrés managed to link their gazes and made Martín blush like a teenage girl “I’m asking about you. I want to talk about you”

“Right” _don’t give in, do not give in, it’s probably just a mask and he just wants to drag your ass home_ “Yes, I did. We… I’m outside all day basically”

“You like Peru, hm? Even if it’s so hot you can’t breathe”

“Not like Palermo was any different” the words slipped out of Martín’s lips before he could stop them and the silence that fell after was ice cold and lasted forever

“Affirmative” Andrés finally answered, smiling at the waitress who brought them menu and wine card “How’s your sister doing? What was her name… Janet?”

“Julia” Martín put away the menu “See, that’s what I mean. You don’t even know that”

“You didn’t talk to her for years!”

“I wonder why, hmm, maybe because half of the time we were on the run?”

“You really want to fight in a restaurant, Martín? Don’t make a scene, people are watching”

“Very good” well, that was new. Usually Martín would shut up after scolding from Andrés, but this time he only spoke louder “Let them hear that you don’t even know my sister’s name. What _do_ you know, Andrés? Hm? How to shoot me so I’ll have an ugly scar on my arm?”

“For example how to finger you, so you whine and come in thirty seconds like a virgin” Andrés hissed, a bit irritated. Martín immediately dropped his attitude and looked away, his shoulders lower than before “We don’t have to behave like animals”

“I’m sorry” Martín whispered, choosing his dish. He suddenly didn’t want any food. Berlín spotted his face, knowing immediately what was going on inside his head so he slowly dragged his foot towards Martín’s leg and gently caressed his calf. Palermo gasped loudly and looked up at his friend “Andrés!”

“What are you going to take? I’ve been thinking some sea food?”

“So then Sergio says that there’s no way she could eat the whole portion, right? Julia is tiny and thin and not only she ate her portion but also finished Sergio’s” Martín was giggling happily “And that’s how you win ten euros” 

Andrés was listening to him just a bit, because he mostly focused on observing his features, the way his jaw moved as he talked, the way his lashes were fluttering when he was laughing, the open position he took. He looked like a painting and Andrés’ fingers itched for some canvas and paint. He was sure Martín would want him to paint him, he loved his artistic skill “I came to take you back” he said, interrupting whatever Martín was saying. His friend closed his mouth and looked at him, a puzzled look on his face

“No” he said simply

“Excuse me?”

“I’m not coming back, Andrés. I’m not your doll”

“We need you there, we have so much more planning to do…”

“It can wait” he ignored Andrés “I’m here now”

“What game are you playing?” he leaned back in his chair

“For the first time in forever I don’t play any games” he seemed proud of himself “And I’m not coming back because you said so. You should’ve asked me before you came all the way here”

“So you’re saying you didn’t want to see me?”

“Of course I did. I’m just not coming back just yet”

“Such a rebel, hm?” Andrés’ gaze darkened and Martín felt a gulp in his throat 

“You won’t lure me” he shook his head “No more”

“Oh, I wasn’t going to” Andrés put away the cutlery and finished his wine “I’ll pay” he gently held Martín’s hand back and felt a tiny shiver that went through him. He made the touch linger and smiled at his friend, before giving the waitress his card. They left the restaurant and Martín led them more towards the busier part, with many alleys to walk through together. 

“I could live here actually, it’s pretty nice” Martín spoke suddenly “Lima is just so beautiful”

“That’s why you should live here someday” Andrés winked at him and Martín just melted. He could stand only so much and this compliment just overflown his self-control tank

“Stop” he blushed and let out a sharp breath when he felt Andrés’ fingers going through his hair “I thought you hated me”

“No, I told you the rules”

“This is not business” Martín whispered, his breath speeding up as Andrés’ hand was brushing his as they walked 

“It is business as long as I say so. Which doesn’t mean you can do this too. Come on, it’s getting late” they soon came back to the hotel, took the elevator and stood up in front of Sergio’s room. It almost got romantic and Martín was almost ready to kiss Andrés.

“Which one is yours?” he whispered in the darkness of the corridor and went boneless when Andrés’ arm wrapped around his waist “Oh y-you’re… close”

“Mine’s right next to yours” Andrés whispered into his ear “I was lucky” 

“Mmm” where was Martín’s brain at this point? Probably went for a walk and decided not to come back until Andrés’ lips wouldn’t leave Martín’s hair and…

“You’re back?” Sergio opened the door, making Martín jump away from Andrés with a blush more red than the most red thing in the world “Oh. Sorry. Andrés!”

“ _Dios mio_ , you look like bacon” Andrés ruffled his brother’s hair “I missed you! Look at you!” they hugged tightly, both looking happy about the meeting 

“Yeah, caught some sun” Sergio smiled softly “And how are you two?”

“Oh” Andrés wrapped his arm around Martín’s waist and pulled him close “Pretty good I would say” 

Martín went stiff under the touch but didn’t say a word. Sergio sent him a look and cleared his throat, nodding slowly “I’m glad then. Martín, you’re coming back already?”

“Yes” Palermo nodded but Andrés’ hand stayed where it was, his fingers digging into his side “O-or in a minute”

“Alright. I’ll leave you alone” Sergio closed the door to their room and Martín looked up at Andrés 

“Let me go, Andrés”

“Because?” he raised his brow, turning Martín so he had him close to his chest 

“I thought we could talk without… this”

“This?” Berlín’s finger dipped beneath Martín’s shirt and started tracing his naked back, dragging a soft gasp from him. He closed his eyes, trying to calm down his breathing 

“I can’t… I can’t do… business…”

“You agreed for that” there was now two fingers on Martín’s spine and he was slowly melting under the touch 

“But I realized I can’t. There’s too much… between us. So for now it’s best for me to stay here”

“Martín, Martín, Martín… Why so tense?” Andrés pressed him gently to the wall, moving his hand to touch Palermo’s neck “I’m pretty sure you’re capable of meeting my expectations”

“Ex… pectations…” Martín had his lips parted, his head tilted back. His arms wandered to wrap around Andrés’ neck, so now he could smell the heavy perfumes Andrés always wore that he loved so much. Berlín’s hands slid down to his lower back and now they were pressed together, close, their foreheads linking. Martín was suffocating, positive that he wouldn’t be able to resist for much longer. Andrés wasn’t making a move to kiss him though and that puzzled him a little. 

“You said you missed me”

“I have” 

“And what are you expecting now? Hm?” Andrés lips tracing the shell of his ear were successfully preventing him from clear thinking “You did such a bad thing so now you should be ready to do anything so I forgive you and allow at least being all business. Don’t you think?”

“Yes” Martín whispered, going boneless in Andrés’ arms. He was actually ready to throw everything and just follow him wherever he would tell Palermo to go.

“And instead you run to Peru and give me attitude…” Andrés clicked his tongue couple times, biting Martín’s ear gently and causing him to gasp “I don’t recognize you, Martín Berrote”

“Andrés, please, stop… This is fucking torture…”

“Don’t you think you deserve a little bit of torture for your behavior?” Andrés put a finger on Martín’s lips, shushing him “That’s right. You do. But…” he let go of him and moved a step back “I will be nice and leave you alone. Goodnight, Martín” he turned around and walked to his room, not looking back even once, leaving Martín blushing and panting, his body stiff and boneless at the same time. Palermo licked his lips, swallowing hard and slowly retreating to his and Sergio’s room. He closed the door and sat on the bed, staring somewhere far, far away.

“Martín? Hey, you alright?” Sergio put away his book and sat up, looking at his friend “Martín!”

“Hm? Yes, I’m… yeah” he shook his head, wincing a little, before falling back onto the bed “I’m freaking gone”

“What happened?”

“Nothing and everything at the same time” he rubbed his face “I believe he wants me to go crazy. Fuck, I think I already have”

“He… kissed you?”

“No. No, he just…” Martín waved his hands and laughed bitterly “Did exactly the right thing to make me sick with longing. He knows all my buttons by heart, he knows which ones to press at a certain time. I’m hopeless, Sergio, really. It’s like I know where I stand and then he appears and my brain leaves me immediately”

“Love makes you go crazy, hm?”

“Yeah, I guess. That would explain the last ten years of my fucking life” he sighed and rolled over to look at him “Sergio?”

“Yes?”

“You’re his brother… Can you tell if he’s playing or actually feels something towards me?”

“Not really. I never could, even with his wives. He’s a mystery”

“Right… What am I supposed to do now? You’re leaving soon and then what, I’ll stay alone with him? Sergio, it will end in bed in less than a day”

“Then don’t” Sergio had a determined look on his face

“Don’t?”

“Don’t let him. Martín, you’re not a doll, you have control over yourself. You just allow it to leave whenever Andrés is close to you. I taught you to fight, didn’t I? Use it now!”

“I will try”

“I believe in you” Sergio reached his hand and squeezed Martín’s fingers “Do you hear me? I believe in you”

“Thank you” Martín felt like crying, just a tiny bit “I love you, brother”

“I love you too”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter was messy, but so are our boys so I'm pretty sure they match


	12. A promise I couldn't keep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was born in PAIN that's why it's shorter, I re-wrote parts of it, I'm not exactly sure if this is going the way I want... Yeah. Enjoy I guess

“Who would’ve thought they would have such amazing food in a hotel restaurant” Andrés finished his espresso, leaning back on his chair close to Martín, who sat like he swallowed a broomstick. Sergio was on the other side of the table, pretty uncomfortable with how Palermo looked and how he barely touched his food. 

“You’re not hungry, _cariño_?” Andrés’ voice was so sweet Martín felt like puking. He slowly shook his head, taking a glass of water and drinking half of it at once. A shiver went through his body when Andrés kissed his head with a small smile and stood up to request another coffee. Sergio cleared his throat and whispered

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah” Martín looked away, playing with his fork 

“You sure?”

“I am, I’m just not hungry” he got quiet again when Andrés came back, his hand wrapping around Martín who leaned to the touch like a puppy but stayed stiff “You’re getting another?”

“Yes, I hope you don’t mind spending here some more minutes” he smiled at Martín “So, Sergio, have you decided on gang members already?”

“No, I didn’t give it much thought, I wanted to clear my head and relax a bit, you know?” Sergio answered “But as soon as I’m home, I will get to work. You’re coming back with me?”

“Oh, no no. I came to see our dear Martín so I think I’ll stay for a couple days”

Martín felt sick. Sick with himself. He hated his body’s every reaction to the slightest bit of attention Andrés was giving him and there was nothing he could do to stop him. He felt sick having Andrés so close and at the same time he wanted him to never leave and he was torn to the naked bone. It would be so much easier to just feel one thing – clean hatred or clean devotion. Because of Julia and Sergio, he lost this clearness and now everything was way worse than before, now he didn’t even know how to come back to the previous state. It was like having two Martíns inside of him – one was all over Andrés, the second one was the reasonable Martín who put self-love higher than relationships. The truth was, the moment Andrés was close he would crumble, fall apart and lose his brain and trying to stop it left bad aftertaste in his mouth. 

Decision came suddenly and the only sign of it was Martín relaxing and putting his head on Andrés’ arm. He was going to be stretching the control line until it breaks. And then, when it breaks, he would be figuring out what to do next. 

He wasn’t following the conversation, instead he snatched a toast from his plate and started picking at it slowly. He felt Andrés move and suddenly there was a grape in front of his mouth which he gladly accepted, smiling at Andrés who caresses his hair gently. Things could stay that way, he thought. More than friends, less than lovers once again. It wasn’t that bad after all. 

“I saw your face there, I saw the way you gave up” Sergio hissed, pulling Martín’s arm pretty strongly after they came back to their room “What happened?”

“See, uhm…” he smiled widely “I like the way things are now and fighting it was only causing me pain”

“I’m really worried about you”

“I’m fine”

“No, you’re not. And I’m afraid you’ll break when I’m not here to help you” Sergio pulled him for a hug “I read you like a book and you don’t look like that when you’re happy”

“Maybe this is my new happy” Martín shrugged 

“I’m considering cancelling my flight” 

“No! Why would you? I mean, I would love for you to stay but I can tell you want to go back”

“I’m afraid to let you out of my sight” Sergio sighed “I know you’re an adult man, but still…”

“I’ll be fine. Andrés is here. Maybe we’ll go to Palermo” he laughed but it was such a fake sound, Sergio winced. This guy was fucking broken and the worst thing was that he wasn’t even aware. Sergio was helpless as long as Martín didn’t want help

“I expect you to give me a check-up call everyday”

“Yes, sir” he giggled playfully

“Martín…”

“What? It was a joke” 

“Alright. Where are we going today again?”

“Shopping” Martín grabbed his hand and started dancing with him, making Sergio awkwardly follow “Come on” he let go of him and fell on the bed, laughing loudly

“You’re an idiot” Sergio chuckled, looking for his wallet “But fuck, Martín, I’m so glad you’re laughing”

Sergio was a good observer, just like his brother. He kept a close eye on Martín and Andrés the whole day. He studied the way Martín’s smile didn’t reach his eyes or the way he wasn’t even trying to touch Andrés, waiting for the other one to make a move. He could easily spot the non-existing eating Martín was doing and his forced laughs every so often, even how unusually quiet his friend was. It wasn’t okay and Sergio wanted to punch a wall or better, someone’s face. He couldn’t even get Martín alone because he was clinging to Andrés’ side all the time, like he was afraid Berlín would disappear. Andrés acted like usual with a dose of affection towards Palermo, not too much but enough to make the poor guy crazy for him. It kinda made Sergio sick. He knew Martín was on the edge of breaking, the only two questions were when this would happen and how. He hated leaving but both Martín and Andrés agreed not to keep him there, because they will be perfectly fine. Sergio wasn’t sure about it at all. 

When they were resting after a dinner, Andrés’ fingers in Martín’s hair, Martín half-laying on his chest, Sergio decided to at least try “So what, you’re in love again?”

“Brother” Andrés smiled. Martín didn’t even try answering, his gaze stayed on the other side of the restaurant “We’re all business here with me as the nice boss” 

“Hm. And Martín is alright with that?”

“Of course he is” Andrés kissed Palermo’s hair, sending his brother a warning look. Martín mechanically smiled at the kiss but didn’t react, only moving closer to the embrace. 

“And you made sure you both agreed to the conditions?” Sergio ignored the warning. He knew Andrés can do shit to him, he wasn’t afraid 

“Do you see disagreement somewhere?” Berlín leaned his head on top of Martín’s “Get busy with your own stuff, hm?”

There was, unfortunately, no further conversation and Sergio had to abort his mission, at least for now. He couldn’t leave Martín like that so when he went to shower in the evening, he gently stopped him and took him to sit on the bed “Can we talk?”

“Sure” Martín looked tired

“Come with me. You don’t have to stay here with him”

“I want to” his gaze shot up “He came especially for me, Sergio”

“I don’t know how to help you, Martín” he dared to put his hand on Martín’s sad face “But I can take care of you. Something is wrong and I can’t tell what. You barely ate today and you constantly look like you’re about to throw up when Andrés is around, if you need me to… I don’t know, talk to him or get you back home then… Tell me. Just talk to me”

“Everything is fine, Sergio. I’m just confused but we’re back to normal with Andrés. It’s fine, really”

“I’ve never seen you like this”

“I just need some sleep. Really, if I need you I will tell you” he nodded, holding Sergio’s wrist and gently taking his hand from his face “Thank you”

“Sure” Sergio whispered. Martín leaned and hugged him, almost disappearing in his arms and breathing sharply. Sergio started caressing his back and suddenly flinched when he heard quiet sobbing from his friend. He didn’t say anything, he just held him tighter, allowing Martín to let out all of the negative emotions and pain and whatever he had inside that was eating him. The door to the room opened and Andrés stood in it, freezing immediately. Sergio placed a finger on his lips, nodding at Martín who cried loud enough for Andrés to hear. The brothers were looking at each other for a long time, so long that suddenly Palermo’s head just rested on Sergio’s lap, his body too exhausted to keep it upright. He was taking shallow, desperate breaths and it looked like a panic attack so Sergio tried to comfort him, slipping his fingers into his hair and caressing gently. He started humming a song he knew Martín liked, and the other hand he placed on Martín’s back to draw comforting circles there. Andrés was observing all of this with a surprised look on his face but he didn’t say a word nor made a sound. He just watched. 

Sergio realized soon after that Martín fell asleep so he carefully moved his head onto a pillow and covered him with a blanket, walking towards the door and gesturing for Andrés to follow.

“Do you see the state he’s in? Hm?” he whispered, looking straight into his brother’s eyes “Are you proud? How’s your _molding_ going, good? Hm? Because the kid just had a panic attack and you’re acting like nothing is wrong!”

“I…” Andrés seemed lost. He shook his head, looking away

“Now you don’t know? You should be the one calming him down for fuck’s sake! I want to puke when I see how you walk around with him by your side, like he’s your damn trophy!” Sergio was so angry he started trembling “Do you even have a heart, Andrés?! Do you care about something else than your narcissistic ass?”

“I didn’t know…”

“You didn’t know, bullshit! You just didn’t want to know. Because it’s easier, right? It’s easier to be blind to those things and leave it for someone else to take care of, for example, me!” Sergio took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down “You don’t deserve Martín and his never-ending devotion”

“He betr…”

“Oh, stop it! You keep going about it, but don’t you see him? It’s your responsibility to keep him safe and alive now! You took him under your wing ten years ago and now you’re gonna hide your pride and act like a fucking friend! And if you don’t want to take him as your lover then don’t fucking act like you do, because you’re fucking with his poor head! He can’t take this, don’t you see? He fucking can’t…” Sergio gasped “You broke him. And now you will deal with the consequences” he reached his hand toward Andrés

“What?”

“The key to your room. You’re gonna stay with Martín tonight and don’t you dare do anything sexual”

“Fine” Andrés rolled his eyes, pressing the key to Sergio’s hand “Goodnight”

“Be good” Sergio disappeared in Berlín’s room, so Andrés had no other choice but to go to his. He quietly closed the door and sat on Sergio’s bed, observing Martín who slept wrapped in a thin blanket. Andrés very gently caressed his arm, careful not to wake him up. He could see the dried tears on Martín’s face and that caused this weird squeezing in his chest. He didn’t bother to completely undress, he just took off his shirt and laid down in the other bed, watching his friend sleep. Martín looked calm, almost like a baby. Like nothing troubled him.

Andrés couldn’t sleep that night.

He laid in silence torn between what he thought about himself and what Sergio said. He couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that Martín was crying, it was just bizarre because it was his own fault. Andrés did nothing to him, he was the one who got betrayed and that was an unforgivable crime. There was a lot of things Andrés could forgive, and even more he could forgive Martín for, but this? No, this was too much even for him. And now he lost his favorite source of teasing and marvelous sex and it was pissing him off a lot. Of course he could take Martín as a lover, but he would get Sergio screaming at him and Martín bawling his eyes out in the nights. Nah, too much work with that, it would be easier to look for some one night stand but that could wait, Andrés wasn’t an animal, he could wait. Martín was acting in a way that Andrés didn’t really like to be completely honest, he was too stiff and too quiet, things had to change. Andrés knew that it was the matter of time, some molding, some work. Martín was his perfect figurine that he moved the way he wanted and believed it couldn’t break.

Only it already did and he had no idea.

Martín was a strong man, both mentally and physically. He had been through a lot of things and built strong character on his way. He hated showing his weakness, even around Andrés or Sergio he considered family. After all he was a guy, a brilliant engineer and he didn’t need anybody pitying him. His recent behavior was different but he took it as a result of lots of stress. He was easily irritated and his mood could shift in minutes, from happily babbling to Andrés about something, to sitting stiffly and quietly next to him. It was like he was fighting a fight but only in his head, on the outside he was just a quiet addition to Andrés’ colorful life, a silent companion at his leg. The whole day he’s been a ghost of himself and still he forced some jokes with Sergio, smiled even if he didn’t want to. The panic attack was like an iceberg that crushed on his already sinking ship and Martín just let that happen, finding an anchor in Sergio, safe and sound. A tiny bit of safe space. Not enough to call it a board but enough not to drown. This was and had to be enough for now, because Martín wasn’t able to reach for more. He was scared to do a step forward, even if there were more anchors to grip. It was easier to just rely on Sergio and cry in his arms in the night than try leaving everything behind and start something new. Besides, let’s not be ridiculous – Martín needed Andrés. Not wanted – _needed_. That’s what kept him in the water, it was like a shark holding his body with its teeth and not letting go. The more Martín tried to get out, the more pain the grip of the teeth caused. It was better to just give in, let himself be eaten and hide somewhere deep in his mind, just like he did today. He could function like that, it was just about getting used to it. 

Andrés couldn’t sleep that night.

Martín was dreaming about drowning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly hate this chapter, gee, the next one is going to be good tho


	13. Put your head on my shoulder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say, Andres is a piece of shit and there's no denying it anymore. He can be sweet and all, but he shows his real face when things don't go the way he wants them to. Well, he's just fucked up but I still love him. Somehow
> 
> Also, we have a cameo of Sergio's legendary toothbrush - let's clap together!
> 
> THE MOST IMPORTANT THING - I would like to thank all of you for the sweetest comments you leave me, especially under the last chapter that I didn't like that much... You're so incredible and I love all of you and today's chapter exists because of the energy you guys gave me - we're back on track, baby! Lots of love! <3

The morning brought one of the few rainy days that happened during the whole summer time in Peru. The sky was grey, in some places almost black and it looked like a storm was coming. Even the weather was sad that Sergio was leaving. In the taxi on their way to the airport Andrés was sitting in the front on the shotgun, and Sergio with Martín in the back, whispering quietly, their words mixing up with the music that was on. Martín looked wrecked, his hair a mess, his eyes red and bags under them very visible. He was smiling gently though, listening to Sergio’s desperate attempts to make him laugh. He was fond of the guy and he grew to love him even more during their vacation. Sergio wasn’t only ‘the other friend of Martín’s’, he was his family, his brother now. The thought of him leaving was very painful for Martín but he wasn’t selfish, he could see Sergio missed his own bed, his safe space among the books and plans. He would love to come with him, but he liked being in Peru as well, besides there was still the thing that Andrés was here… 

“Martín, you drifted again” Sergio nudged him gently, pulling Martín out of his head 

“Oh. I’m sorry” he whispered, looking at him apologetically 

“It’s alright. Are you sure you’ll be fine without me here?”

“I will, don’t worry, Sergio” he caressed his friend’s arm “If anything… happens… I will come back”

“I know it’s hard but try to keep your guard up, try fighting, just… Respect yourself”

“I will” Martín sighed “Sergio, uhm…”

“Speak up your mind”

“I am very grateful for you. I don’t know if you’re doing this out of pure friendship or because I’m Andrés’… uhm… whatever…”

“Martín” Sergio chuckled “Are you stupid? I love you, brother, because you’re you! You really thought I’m so nice to you because of Andrés! Please”

“Oh”

“Believe in yourself a little” Sergio winked at him “Oh, I almost forgot” he reached to his backpack “Do you remember how I went to the mission?”

“Sure”

“I got you something” he pulled out a small black box made of paper and handed it to Martín “Here”

Martín looked up at him and a smirk appeared on his face “Sergio, I’m flattered, but I was sure you like women…”

“I… _Dios mio_ , Martín!” Sergio turned bright red, making Palermo laugh 

“I’m joking, I’m joking” he opened the box and froze, his eyes widening. He looked up at Sergio and back at the box, taking a small, sharp breath

“Do you… like it?” Sergio hesitantly ran his fingers through his hair. Martín was completely speechless, just staring at the gift and trying to think of something to say. It was a black bracelet, made of delicate strings with an Italian word “libertà” sewn in between the black with a golden string. 

“It’s written in gold because you proposed melting gold, and freedom... Well, you know” Sergio awkwardly bit his lip, not getting a word out of Martín 

“Sergio...” Palermo whispered, his voice shaking and hands trembling “This is...” he looked up and pulled him for a hug as much as the seatbelts allowed “I love it”

“Really?”

“This is perfect” Martín gently handed it to Sergio “Would you tie it for me?”

“Yes” in a moment the bracelet was secured on Martín’s left wrist and both of them were looking at it, both smiling. To break the tearful atmosphere Palermo made a simple joke 

“Do more of those things and I’ll fall for you” 

“Stupid” Sergio rolled his eyes, turning his head towards the window. His heart was light when he observed how Martín was gently touching the gift, a smile wandering on his lips. He was glad he could make him happy and hoped that the word would be a reminder of something Martín longed for in many aspects. Liberty, freedom. So hard to get, so easy to lose.

“I’m pretty sure I left my toothbrush in the room” Sergio was pacing nervously at the airport, waiting for his gate to open. Andrés rolled his eyes and Martín laughed softly

“No, you moron, you have all three of them, I checked for you” it might not look like it, but Andrés was fond of his brother and would do anything for him, even deal with his OCD

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am sure, Sergio. Better check if you have your ticket and passport” 

“Yes, right there” he showed them his documents and checked the clock “Right, I better get going”

“Have a safe flight, _hermanito_ , call me when you land” Andrés pulled him for a hug 

“Thank you. Watch out for yourself and Martín, hm?”

“I always do” he let go of him and they kissed each other’s cheeks. Sergio approached Martín with a wide smile and hugged him tightly. Martín wrapped his arms around him and that’s when Andrés spotted the bracelet, raising his brow a little. 

“Thank you for making me come, it was amazing” 

“I loved it” Martín whispered, relaxing in Sergio’s arms “And thank you for the bracelet again, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever gotten”

“Get some rest and remember what you fight for” Sergio patted his back and kissed his both cheeks “Check-up calls”

“Yeah, yeah” he rolled his eyes, pressing his mouth to his cheek and smiling “I know, ma”

“I hate you sometimes”

“Nah, you love me” he giggled, pushing Sergio towards the gate “Go”

“See you soon!” he said. Martín waved at him and walked closer to Andrés, to wait and watch Sergio move to the gate. 

“What’s this?” Andrés took his wrist and brought it closer to his eyes to read

“A gift”

“From who?” his grip tightened and it took a lot for Martín not to wince 

“Sergio”

“Oh” he immediately let go “It’s nice”

“Indeed” he nodded, lowering his gaze “Why are you like this?”

“Excuse me?”

“In a… bad mood or something”

“No, I’m not. Let’s go” they started walking to the exit when suddenly Andrés said “What do you think about a trip to Argentina?

Martín tensed immediately “I…I’ve been already”

“Yes, but without me. And you probably didn’t go to Palermo”

“N-no…” he had to close his eyes for a second not to burst into tears. He didn’t want to go, he hated Palermo with everything he had 

“So? Let’s say for a week?”

“I don’t want to go” he shook his head

“Why not? It’s nice there”

“I want to stay in Lima”

“So you don’t want to be back where everything started?” Andrés’ voice was soft and deep and yet Martín had a hard time swallowing “A trip down memory lane?”

“No” his whole body felt like made of stone 

“Okay, wow, I thought better of our friendship” Andrés sped up his walking and that was too much for Martín. He immediately caught up and almost whined through the tears already falling

“No, I didn’t mean it like that, Andrés…” he ignored him “Andrés…”

“Get in” Berlín gestured at the taxi, going to the other door. Palermo sat inside, trying to muffle his crying. When they started driving with some American pop blasting, he leaned to Andrés and said quietly

“If it means so much for you, we can go”

“No, thanks, you just showed me how you value our relationship” Andrés didn’t even look at him, so Martín gently put his hand on his arm

“Hey, I really…”

“Don’t touch me” he pushed his hand away and Martín sniffled. He didn’t make another attempt

“I’m sorry” he whispered, trying to earn forgiveness “Don’t be mad at me, I’ll go to Palermo with you. I’ll go wherever but don’t be mad at me, I beg you”

“Quiet, Martín” Andrés’ voice was ice cold, leaving no space for arguing. Martín turned his whole body towards the window and focused on the view, not even trying to wipe the tears dripping down his face. It was the worst day of his life, he couldn’t even be nice to Andrés… That trip could fix everything between them and Martín just blew the chance for it. Stupid. He was stupid, nothing more. 

When they got back to their hotel, Andrés paid for the taxi and got out, not waiting for Martín to follow. There was only so much he could stand, so he closed the taxi door and screamed “Andrés, wait for fuck’s sake!” he started sobbing out loud, making people around him stare and whisper. Berlín stopped and slowly turned around. His face was terrifying. He walked to Martín, grabbed his arm forcefully and brought his face close to Palermo’s. From the distance it looked like he was comforting him

“Shut up immediately. You’re embarrassing me!” he growled. Martín sobbed and coughed, but he managed to silence himself “Better”

“Why… why are you doing… this?”

“Maybe because you’re acting like a 5-year-old lately!”

“I don’t… recognize you” Martín made a bold gesture of putting his trembling hand on Andrés’ face “I prefer when you’re sweet”

“Martín” Andrés’ face softened and Palermo knew he won “I will be sweet if you act like yourself”

“I’m sorry” he tried wrapping his arms around Andrés’ neck and when he wasn’t pushed away, he just pressed himself to him, finding comfort and safety in his embrace. 

“It’s alright” Berlín kissed his head couple of times and Martín melted completely “Isn’t it better like this?”

“Yes” Martín didn’t want anything at this moment, he was just so happy they made up

“How about I take you dancing tonight, hm? Would you like that?”

“Yes! Yes, very!” a bright smile appeared on his face. They locked gazes and Martín felt his heart skipping a beat and his whole body started going boneless. Andrés slipped his hand into Martín’s hair and very softly kissed his cheek, very close to his mouth. Palermo let out a soft giggle and nuzzled Andrés’ neck with his nose before he was gently pushed back

“Let’s go, I’m craving some coffee, aren’t you?”

The whole day was like a dream for Martín. He was in love again, Andrés being as affectionate as he could be without making an impression of being his lover. They went to the beach for a walk, they had lunch in a small restaurant, they went shopping and Andrés bought Martín a new shirt for tonight – heaven on Earth. Martín got comfortable and his courage came back so when they were getting ready for the evening he stood behind Andrés and wrapped his arms around his waist, whispering into his ear “We could fuck tonight if you want” his hand wandered down onto Andrés’ thigh and squeezed gently. Andrés scoffed softly and let him, tilting his head back and closing his eyes 

“So eager, aren’t we?” he murmured 

“Is that a yes?”

“It’s ‘I’ll think about it’, Martín” 

“Think quickly, I’m in the mood” he kissed Andrés’ neck and felt the vibration of his laughter on his lips 

“It’s been a while, eh?” he turned around to look at his friend “Martín, Martín… What about the business?”

“This is business” Palermo sank to his knees in front of Andrés and looked up, his gaze clouded, making Berlín gasp quietly “Can I?”

“Mhm” Andrés observed as Martín unbuckled his belt and opened up his pants, the sight exciting him more than it probably should. There was nothing wrong about this, they both were getting something good out of the situation, Andrés - pleasure and Martín – satisfaction that everything was going great between them. It didn’t matter that it was just an illusion. Nothing was the same as before, but Andrés decided not to destroy the tiny bit of hope Palermo had.

Andrés was furious that he couldn’t control whatever was going on inside him, he hated his chest squeezing, his breath hitching and his heart beating faster around Martín. It would be enough to not even acknowledge him, but there was something about the way Martín looked at him, like a doe about to be shot. There was something about owning him, much different from the relationship they had before. They were almost like a couple back then and who knows what would happen if Martín didn’t decide to be a traitor. No, Andrés preferred the way things were now. He was in control both of himself and Martín, the latter trying to push back a little but Andrés was successfully teaching him that it was totally, completely pointless. He wanted the Martín from before everything happened between them, it was achievable but required some time and effort. He just had to teach Martín once again how much of Andrés he could get. More than friends, less than lovers. The tension it created was amazing and Andrés would choose it over any love story he had ever had. Martín was like a puppy who had to learn not to bark and bite his owner. 

He liked being sweet to Martín, mostly because of how nice were the things between them after each time. But there was this dark desire in his heart to wreck him, to push him further and further until Martín would fall and break and this thought kept him sane, preventing him from stupid unnecessary feelings like love or devotion. He despised feelings, they were only a burden. He suspected that Martín probably thought that he was in love with him or something but the truth was that Andrés was just very good at getting what he wanted. He found a way to ignore the squeezing in his chest and now it only needed some perfecting so it wouldn’t happen when he was around Martín, cause simply it was annoying. 

Martín was doing an awesome job, but Andrés needed more, he needed to see him struggle so he grabbed his hair and pulled his head closer so the poor guy choked but didn’t move away, taking what was given to him

“Good boy” Andrés felt a shiver going down his back. It was so fucking beautiful to see Martín like this, on his knees with tears in his eyes and mouth full. That’s what he wanted, he needed Palermo to be out of his voice, to barely speak, to remember this moment for days or even weeks to come. He didn’t need much more to get close and his orgasm hit him like a rocket, the only thing he managed to do was hold Martín in place so he swallowed every single drop. Only then he let go of him, letting him to lean his forehead on Andrés’ thigh and wheeze and cough and damn, Andrés wanted to throw him on the bed and fuck him restless. But that had to wait 

“Was I… good?” Martín panted, looking up at him with a smirk

“Perfect” he helped him to stand up and kissed his forehead, caressing his hair, then he kissed his cheek and nose and the corner of his mouth. 

“Please…” 

“Please what?” Andrés smirked but didn’t stop Martín from going for a proper kiss, he even opened up and kissed back allowing it to linger for couple breaths before pulling away “Is this what you wanted?”

“That and much more” Martín pushed him towards the bed but Andrés stopped him, laughing softly

“Martín, where’s your elegance?” he found clear, overwhelming desire in his friend’s eyes and it was so tempting to just give in and take him to bed, simple and graceful, but no. Not yet

“Somewhere on the floor” Martín still succeeded in making them fall onto the bed so Andrés just provided him with something to bring him much needed relief. They started kissing and his knee slipped in between Palermo’s legs, causing him to groan and immediately move his hips erratically. This was too good, literally, the sight of Martín in such a mess caused Andrés to get hard again but as he said before, that could wait. He focused on the way Martín’s body felt hot against him, like his lips were soft and wet on his neck, how he was grinding on him… 

“ _Dios mio_ ” Andrés couldn’t stop himself from moaning. He rarely lost control but it’s been too long, too damn long and he needed a distraction that Martín was so willing to provide. He felt him tense and whine before he had an idea, so he quickly took his knee back and held Martín to the mattress.

“Andreees” that was a beautiful sound coming from Palermo’s mouth

“Shhh, look at me” he held his chin and locked their gazes “Good. Breathe”

“Andrés, please…”

“I got you” he murmured, undoing Martín’s pants and moving his boxers away “Beautiful”

“Please…”

“Mmm” he nodded, gently rubbing his leg on Palermo’s uncovered skin. Soon he was begging him loudly, his head tilted back and Andrés had enough time to move away before Martín was coming, lips parted, eyes shut. He looked beautiful.

Martín might have his liberty, but Andrés had power. 

When they managed to go out, Martín was still flushed and out of breath, his voice ruined but his face beaming with happiness. Andrés liked him in his new, navy blue shirt but he wished he wore something he got from him that was visible more. Sergio gave him a bracelet but Andrés would go for something special, something that screamed he belonged to someone. He had to think about it

“So how do you know the place?” Martín was all over him as they walked. Andrés didn’t mind

“I checked on trip advisor” he admitted, making his friend laugh “It’s here”

“Oh” Martín parted his lips. The place was beautiful, it was an open space, like a giant patio with live music and people dancing around “It’s… wow”

“True” Andrés grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the bar. They bought drinks and sat down close to each other so they could talk. Martín focused on Berlín’s face thinking about how attractive Andrés was

“Thank you”

“For what?” Andrés smiled at the sound of Martín’s voice, making his friend blush 

“For today. I missed that” he smiled back and purred like a cat “Did you make your decision?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” Berlín teased, leaning closer 

“I’m talking about me being fucked by you, preferably multiple times during this night” Martín whispered, tracing Andrés’ ear and finishing his sentence with a kiss to his cheek

“I’m still thinking” he finished his drink and gestured at the dancefloor “Coming?”

“Yeah!” they both wandered around until they found some place and immediately started being touchy with each other, Andrés put his hands on Martín’s waist and Martín embraced his neck and hid his face in the crook. They completely ignored the music, just swinging in a circle, enjoying their company. Suddenly Berlín felt a hot tongue on his neck and a gentle suction he knew would leave a mark.

“Martín, you’re unstoppable, I swear to God” Andrés looked around but no one paid attention to them 

“I just went too long without you” he pressed himself closer “I’m just… I want you”

“I can tell” Andrés smirked, sliding his hands down to his butt “And I told you already, I haven’t made a decision yet”

“I know”

That was so good, just keeping him on the edge, allowing him to be close, touchy but without knowing whether he would be taken to bed or not. Andrés could use a nice fuck but what excited him even more was a thought of Martín laying in bed, tensed, wanting and desperate after not getting what he wanted. He could already imagine him being touchy, trying to get some relief and being said ‘no’. That thought was glorious and Andrés already knew what his decision was. He liked stretching Martín’s control, trying how much he could take. That was something to always get him hard. 

He could feel Martín being ready for more, he wondered how long he spent being in this state but he didn’t ask, he didn’t even let him know he was aware. He played oblivious and ignored it even when Martín started making desperate movements against him. He observed, listened, felt exactly when Martín got close.

“Stop immediately, we’re in public” he held him in place, speaking softly but leaving no room to argue.

“I can’t…” he whispered, clinging to Andrés 

“Martín, Martín, Martín… You’re so easily manipulatable” Berlín smirked “It’s easy to hurt you, you’re all over the guy and he pops a pill to your drink”

“I’m with you” he was desperate in such a beautiful way 

“And how do you know I wouldn’t do that? We had our adventures with drugs, eh?”

“You can use me, I would actually beg for it” Martín murmured, kissing his neck again 

“Okay, okay, go get yourself an ice cold drink” he laughed, sending him to the bar. Martín happily went, got something and started chatting with the girl behind the counter. He was flushed and pretty and Andrés pretty quickly noticed her trying to flirt with Martín who was completely oblivious. That was honestly hilarious how unaffected he was, until Andrés came and touched his wrist and you could see the spark of electricity that went between them. The girl probably noticed too because she shut up and moved away to some guys to take their order.

“Hey” Martín smiled at him

“Better?”

“A little” he nodded, letting Andrés try his drink “Nice, right?

They danced a little more, went for a walk to see a little bit of the city at night and then took a taxi back to their hotel. In the elevator Martín almost threw himself at Andrés, kissing him eagerly. Berlín laughed at that but didn’t stop him, opening up for whatever Martín was doing. They stumbled into their room and fell on the bed, Martín’s fingers undoing Andrés’ shirt already. It wasn’t the moment to take back control, not yet, so Andrés only helped Martín in his job. When they were both shirtless and covered in hickeys, Berlín murmured

“We’re not gonna fuck, Martín”

His friend froze immediately “W-What?”

“I decided it is a bad idea” Andrés looked at him calmly, putting a hand on his face

“Andrés, I… I want you…”

“Then you will be able to wait some more” he slid his finger from his neck to his navel, making Martín hiss softly “We should get to bed, it’s very late” he got up, leaving him laying down, half naked and shocked.

He knew he had him when he heard through the shower door couple minutes later

“What about tomorrow?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe it was supposed to be a simple "fall-in-love-with-me-in-14-days" story? What have I done here...
> 
> Fun fact: I had a lecture in social psychology about power today and found out that there are actually schemes to the behavior that Andrés is pulling on Martín. For example in a relationship, the person who cares less or doesn't have feelings that strong is the one with more power because the other person will do everything they say. Simply because they care more and want the relationship to last and their partner to be happy with them. Tell me it isn't what's happening here! Gosh, I love when I can use my passion in writing... which is my other passion, lol
> 
> Also the title of the chapter is a title of a song that I love a lot, it's by Paul Anka, check it out if you wish


	14. When it all falls down, we’ll be two souls in the ghosttown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember the rollercoaster? Yeah, we're still on it and this is one of the most dangerous parts of it so brace yourselves
> 
> This story is like... I don't know, I guess I started simple and now I'm getting out my best writing from the depths of my soul and these chapters are created. I wouldn't be myself if I didn't throw in some sexy stuff but don't worry, it's still pretty elegant I would say
> 
> If you could taste this chapter it would be bitter-sweet. Enjoy!

Just as he thought, Martín was acting like a madman. They slept in separate beds but Martín joined him around 2 or 3 am and pressed himself close, so close he woke Andrés up. The fact he was half asleep didn’t make him forget that he said no to sex, so that left Martín wanting. In the morning he tried to lure Andrés by offering him a blowjob which he kindly refused, smirking at Martín’s face. And then Martín crossed the line.

They opted for breakfast in a café they liked, that was couple minute walk from the hotel. Andrés left ordering to Martín while he went to the restroom, taking his time and washing his hands thoroughly. He was in a pretty good mood today so Martín had high chances for some intimacy in the evening… Of course till Andrés left the bathroom. He spotted it immediately, Martín’s smile was hard to miss. He was leaning on the bar, chatting with a very handsome waiter. They both were clearly into each other, Andrés could tell seeing their eyes, the way they were positioned, the way Martín was tilting his head with laughter. Andrés’ blood boiled and he immediately rushed towards them. He grabbed Martín’s wrist tight, very tight, making him hiss and asked in a calm voice “What do you think you’re doing?” his eyes said more than anything and Martín suddenly seemed small, tiny even

“We were just… talking” he whispered, his lower lip trembling 

“Did you order?” when Martín nodded, he pushed him towards the table “Then sit on your ass and wait for it!” Andrés followed him, angry to the point he wanted to curse which wasn’t pretty for the elegant man he was 

“Andrés, I…”

“I’m gone for couple minutes and you already hit on some guy? You’re that desperate to get a fuck?”

“N…No” Martín felt tears gathering in his eyes. His wrist was burning but he didn’t dare to look at it.

“You disappointed me, Martín. I don’t wanna see you today. We eat and then we part ways”

“T…Till when?”

“Till I decide differently” Andrés stopped paying him any attention and even when their food came, he focused on eating and the view from the window. Martín tried to talk to him but he was completely ignoring him so he gave up. The atmosphere was heavy but Andrés didn’t find that to be a problem, he just mentally muted Martín’s voice to get some calmness.  
Martín on the other hand was crumbling. He couldn’t control his tears, neither his sobs that were getting more erratic and out of breath. His whole body was trembling and he just wanted Andrés to look at him, he didn’t want to flirt with that guy, he was the one who started and Martín just happened to laugh at his jokes… Finally, he managed to get through Berlín’s wall of ignorance and got him talking

“Would you stop? You’re making a scene”

“I c-can’t…” Martín coughed, not able to breathe properly. He caught a glimpse of worry in Andrés’ eyes as his friend leaned closer to whisper

“You’re going to stop immediately and behave like an adult. Martín, what do you expect now? You betray me and steal from me and now you want to act like nothing happened? And what’s more you flirt with other guys”

“An-Andrés I can’t… breathe…” he wheezed, openly sobbing now but trying to be quiet. Andrés sighed and reached for his hand

“Look at me” he locked their gazes and said very softly “Try taking a deep breath… In through the nose… Martín, through the nose… Good! Now breathe out through the mouth” the longer Andrés was speaking, the calmer Martín would get and eventually he managed to calm down pretty fast, gripping his friend’s fingers tightly “Good job”

“Thanks…” Martín blew his nose and wiped his face, bringing a forced smile onto his face “I’m sorry… I haven’t… I don’t… This guy just made a joke… I was…”

“Yeah, okay, shh” Andrés silenced him, taking away his hand “It’s fine, whatever”

“You’re… not mad?”

“I guess not, I don’t wanna have that kind of behavior in public anymore. Eh, Martín, you used to be so much fun” he scoffed and shook his head

Palermo lowered his head, sniffing quietly “I’m still… I’m still fun. I still can… watch movies with you and cook and go to places and have sex and…”

“Yeah, no” Andrés sighed “I can’t take you to bed if you react like this. You clearly have a problem with understanding that if you want us to work then you let me create the lines and decide what we can and cannot do. Clearly, sex is out of your league right now because you won’t get the fact that we’re not together”

“I understand that very correctly” Martín looked at him “But… you never acted like that with me. You were never…”

“You know why?” Andrés interrupted “Because in a decade of us being friends you did nothing wrong, Martín. I could trust you with my life, with Sergio’s life, with everything. After what you did… Everything changed”

“I want to fix this”

“Yes, see? So do I, but I need time and I need to see you can behave! For now I don’t recognize you, you’re not the Martín, my dearest friend that I loved so much”

“What can… can I do?”

“Be good” Andrés shrugged “I like you close but not too close. Just follow my rules and we’ll be perfectly fine in no time, I promise”

Martín was right with what he was saying, Andrés had never been like that with him. There was a reason for it though – Martín never was _his_. With his wives the scheme was always the same, sooner or later Andrés would become the same person he was now with Martín. His real face always showed, but why did it never happen with Martín?  
Martín was his exception. Martín was the only guy Andrés had ever laid a finger on, he was his only best friend (we don’t count Sergio, obviously) and he had the immunity. It was like having a golden ticket, whatever happened Martín was protected and never got to see Andrés’ real face. He knew his best friend from the tip of his head to the little toe but it turned out he had no idea who really is Andrés de Fonollosa. The moment they started building something that resembled a relationship… boom. Welcome to the real world when you don’t recognize the love of your life but it’s too late because you’re head over heels into him. 

It was supposed to be a 14 days challenge and end up with them happily in love. What the fuck happened along the way?

“I’m thinking this? What do you think?” Andrés gazed at his best friend who was focused on the things in front of them 

“I think the silver is more elegant” Martín nodded, pointing the one he liked and quickly moving his hand away so the lady didn’t notice the bruise on his wrist 

“Maybe I should just buy you a collar” a soft whisper from Andrés made Martín’s knees weak “So you like the silver one better? The thinner?”

“Mhm” he nodded and smiled at the lady, so did Andrés

“We’ll take it then… No, please, no package” Andrés grabbed the necklace and put it on Martín, speaking quietly to him "I don’t want to see you with other guys ever again”

“Yes, of course” Martín whispered back, purring like a cat when Andrés’ touch lingered a bit longer that it was needed. He waited for him to pay and they continued walking in silence

“I thought we could go for a trip for the weekend” Andrés suddenly said and Martín tensed immediately, only one place in his head, but he remained quiet “Maybe Berlin… Of course after we come back from Peru. Have you decided when you want to come back?”

“Not really” Palermo shook his head slowly “Do you want to come back?”

“Perhaps travel somewhere else, I’m honestly bored here”

“Okay” Martín shrugged. It didn’t matter to him anyway “We can travel. What’s on your mind?”

“Mexico… Or Canada. I’m not sure, what do you think?”

“We haven’t been to any of those so” he smiled softly 

“I mean, we can go to both. The plan can wait, right?” Andrés seemed in a pretty good mood, obviously better than in the morning but Martín still felt uneasy

“Maybe Canada first? It’s colder and when we freeze our asses off, we can go to Mexico, warm up…” he proposed, biting his lip

“You’re so smart, Martín” Andrés squeezed his arm gently “We can get tickets even now, what do you think?”

They did get tickets for the next day (what cash can do, wow) and decided to say goodbye to Peru on the beach. Martín took Andrés to his favorite place but didn’t manage to convince him to swim, so he went alone. The water was salty but pretty nice, it was really relaxing to just swim a little and cool down. He suddenly remembered the dream he recently had, the one about drowning. He felt his chest tightening and his hands tremble and there was no use of calming himself down and repeating that it was just a nightmare. He immediately got out of the water and sat on the sand, close enough so the waves were washing over his lower body. He could stay like this for hours and to be completely honest, he didn’t want to leave just yet. No matter how badly he tried to convince himself that Canada and Mexico would probably be amazing, he couldn’t stop dreaming about staying here for weeks, maybe even months until he would ran out of money to spend “Stupid, Martín” he murmured under his breath and got up, walking back to Andrés who was sunbathing and reading a newspaper “Hey!”

“Don’t get me wet, please” Andrés said in a low voice and opened one eye, taking in the sight of Martín “You lost weight”

“Maybe” he bit his lip, uncomfortable “Do I look… bad?”

“Oh, quite the opposite” Andrés dipped his finger beneath Martín’s bathing suit and pulled him closer, having his eyes at the level of his v-line. Palermo felt familiar tingling and shivers going down his back “You look pretty”

“You look hot” Martín licked his lips, liking the image in front of him. Andrés wasn’t the type to wear revealing close but now, shirtless, only in shorts… Nice view

“Martín”

“Hmm?”

“Do you want to earn forgiveness for the morning?” he asked with his brow slightly raised and Martín didn’t need to be told anything more. He dropped to his knees in front of Andrés’ sunbed and looked around

“There are people here”

“Not many and they don’t even look at us… You’re shy suddenly?” Andrés opened his newspaper creating a little bit of cover for Martín

“No” Martín smiled at him and leaned between Andrés’ legs, placing couple kisses on his thighs. His heart was beating really fast but he trusted Andrés that he would make sure nobody sees what was happening. He moved away the fabric and took him into his mouth, eliciting a soft, quiet gasp from his friend. He was good with blowjobs and he knew how to please Andrés, so pretty soon Berlín was moving his hips slightly forward to meet the movements of Martín’s mouth and if somebody was listening, they wouldn’t even know when Andrés finished. He stayed perfectly silent and Martín was smarter than making any sound, he just swallowed obediently and kissed just the tip before withdrawing his head to breathe properly. Andrés had a lazy smile on his face as he disheveled Martín’s hair softly, gently 

“I love your mouth. Remarkable skill”

“Thank you” Martín blushed, relishing in the compliment. He kept his gaze on his friend’s face, observing him intently, searching for any sign that he’s going to get something in return 

“What would you like, _cariño_?” Andrés was clearly taunting, but as long as he paid attention to him, Martín was happy. He was sitting next to the sunbed with his head leaning on Andrés’ knee, his body relaxed, kissed by the sun 

“Anything” he sighed “I need…”

“Tell me. Tell me what you need” Andrés looked him in the eyes. Martín felt himself going pliant and he suddenly didn’t have the energy to speak “Tell me what you want, Martín”

“I…” he almost had a heart attack when Andrés dropped his hand and placed it on his thigh “Please…”

“I still don’t know what you want” his thumb circled Martín’s tip through his swimsuit and he had to use all of his self-control not to moan out loud. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, already on the edge

“Just… let me”

“Let you do… what?” Andrés’ grip tightened and Martín whined quietly 

“Please, please, please… keep doing this…”

“Martín, you don’t really think I’m jerking you off in public, right?” he took his hand away and Palermo actually felt like crying. His own hand wandered between his legs but Andrés clicked his tongue and he immediately stopped “No. Bad” he held Martín’s chin and turned his head so they were looking at each other “Patience”

“Andrés, please… I don’t want anything else, I’m going to be nice… Just…”

“For everything there’s certain time” Andrés opened his newspaper again and stopped paying him any attention. Martín was frustrated to the max, he had to bite his lower lip not to cry from the lack of relief. It was stupid and to be honest, he didn’t have to listen to Andrés, he could just deal with it but… He knew that waiting pays off and he will get the night of his life if he proves he can wait. 

They had their last night in this hotel and Martín decided he’s not waiting any longer. He waited until they were both showered and squeaky clean, he sent Sergio a quick text to let him know he was okay and when Andrés came back from the balcony after his call with his brother, Martín was ready. He approached his friend wearing nothing but slim boxers and kissed him deeply, pulling him towards the bed. Andrés undid his robe in the meantime and when they fell on the covers, he was already gloriously naked

Sex deepens the relationship, makes people get even closer to each other, creates stronger feelings. They both were aware of that but had totally different ideas of how to use it in their case. Martín was convinced that a night together spent on making love will bring back their relationship from before his big mistake. He was sure that Andrés just needed something to tip him off and decided sex would be perfect for this.

Andrés had a very deep understanding of Martín and he knew that sex, especially after keeping him on a wait for so long, would dim all of the bad emotions he might have felt and wake up the good ones, the ones that made Martín vulnerable, smiling, loving and totally dependent. He was in a perfect position right now and if he managed to get rid of the part with crying and misbehaving… He had what he always had wanted – a best friend and sex combined without stupid feelings or commitment. 

Martín was giving his best, his lips were traveling on Andrés’ face and neck, licking and kissing and biting and he probably flicked some switch in Berlín, because the next thing he knew was that Andrés was tearing his boxers from him and grinding on him slowly, in control

“Fuck me, please” Martín moaned, getting lost in the sudden pleasure that completely overwhelmed him. When Andrés’ fingers found their way inside him, he could do nothing more but to lay on his back and take it, take everything that was given to him and it was so, so good, intoxicating, addicting even “More… More, Andrés…”

Despite Martín’s urgent business between his legs, they were making love slowly, just like the first time back home, Andrés was just so gentle and yet he was making him mewl and hiss in pleasure. They fit together like two apple halves, nobody ever was such a good match for Martín as Berlín was. In a heat of the moment when they were both reaching their climaxes, Martín moaned out loud, completely not caring about the consequences “I love you… Ah, fuck, Andrés… I love you”

When they parted and fell back on the covers, sweaty and satisfied, Martín turned his head towards Andrés and kissed him softly. He believed that this moment between them was sacred and meant a lot, much more than anything before. Andrés didn’t answer, he just untangled from Palermo’s arms, put on his silky robe and walked outside on the balcony, leaning on the balustrade. Martín spotted another robe so he took it, threw at himself and followed him, smiling widely. He stood next to Andrés and hesitantly asked “How are you feeling? I mean your… condition”

“It’s fine” Andrés finally looked at him. Martín wanted to kiss him but his friend stopped him “No, Martín”

“Why?”

“Because we’re not together” he sighed “Make me a drink, please”

“Okay” Palermo fixed two glasses of whisky and brough them back, giving one to Andrés “Here”

“Thank you” they stood in silence for some time before Berlín reached his arm and laid it on Martín’s waist, pulling him closer. Martín gently put his head on his shoulder and smiled

“I can’t help but love you, even though I try not to” he whispered “I can’t help it. You can be awful to me and I still love you and I always will”

“Martín, stop”

“Why?” he moved to look at him “Why should I? Are you afraid of accidentally falling for me?”

“Of course not” Berlín shook his head 

“Then what? What is it?”

“Martín…”

“No, listen, we could try! What do you have to lose?” he shrugged “You’re dying anyway” he said that before he could think. Andrés stiffed and his fingers wrapped around the glass went white from the force. Martín felt like he was about to puke “Shit, I didn’t… mean it…”

“I hope…” Andrés turned to look at him. His face was neutral but his eyes ice-cold “…that I live long enough to break you” he stepped closer, making Martín pressed to the balustrade “I hope that I am here long enough to destroy you completely and watch you become a shadow of yourself. I hope when I’m gone you will follow me because you won’t be able to live without me” their lips were inches from each other “And I hope you will realize your mistake sooner rather that later” after the last word his hand was quick as he slapped Martín’s cheek. His head jumped to the side and his lip immediately started bleeding “I can’t believe you turned into something like this, Martín Berrote” Andrés just turned around and came back inside, closing the door. Martín couldn’t even move, the shock and pain totally overwhelmed him, taking away the ability do react. This time the tears didn’t come, the huge black hole inside Martín swallowed them. He realized his mistake right this moment. He had nothing left.


	15. I can’t help but be wrong in the dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the feedback and answering my question, now some info from me - some of you noticed that Martin in the show wasn't so vulnerable and I agree as much as we saw him, which wasn't much, like after Andres left him we saw him break and then we know he was drinking and then it wasn't pretty. So that's all, and I just wanted to add that trauma is a bitch and makes people change a lot sooo... I'm not sorry, being in college for psychology puts me in position when I know a lot about disorders and I like using what I know, so that's that. I feel like we shouldn't sugarcoat Andres because he certainly isn't a sweetheart. Thanks for reminding me about updating tags, I kinda forgot about it haha :) <3
> 
> This chapter I'm dedicating to three people who made my day with their comments: stellara and Katia, for writing the longest comments I've ever seen and getting deep into the characters, creating an amazing discussion, analizing the whole plot... wow! (sending you air kisses!) and Dotsrike for giving me bilingual comment which was SO funny and kind of making me answer in Spanish (i love you for that, keep that coming, I hope I didn't embarass myself too much)
> 
> After this LONG intro, let's go with the chapter that is also very long!

They didn’t speak the next morning as they left the hotel, neither in the plane, neither in the hotel in Canada. The weather was really cold, especially in comparison to Peru, so Martín could wear long sweaters hiding his bruised wrist but there was nothing he could do to hide his swollen lip and the giant scab on it. He wasn’t mad at Andrés for that, he knew he deserved this for what he had said. Andrés left him in the room and went out, God knew where. Martín decided to call Sergio as his promised check-up calls.

“Halo?”

“Hey, Sergio” Martín said quietly, feeling like he was about to cry 

“Martín, my dear! How are you? You’re in Canada already?”

“Yes” he forced a smile “It’s fucking cold, man”

“Yeah” Sergio laughed softly “I can imagine. How are you feeling?”

“Good, good” he pulled his sleeves down so they covered his whole hands “I’m freezing”

“And Andrés? Can I talk to him?”

“Uhm...” Martín cleared his throat “Andrés went out”

“Without you?” Sergio started suspecting something “Martín, are you sure you’re okay?”

“He, uhm… I was just tired…”

“You’re an awful liar if it comes to me or Andrés, you know that”

“I’m fine” he whispered like a robot, muffling sobs that were starting to escape. Sergio was quiet for a moment

“Did he hurt you?”

“No”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Sergio, I’m sure” his lip trembled “T-Tell me how are you doing”

Sergio started telling him about his new ideas and some stuff he’s been up to but he couldn’t shake off the bad feeling about the state his friend was in. He decided to lie a little  
“Martín… Andrés told me, you know?”

“About what?”

“The fight?”

“It wasn’t… it wasn’t a fight, I just… said some bad shit and he got mad… and he doesn’t speak to me…” Martín just broke, but still he didn’t dare to mention the slap 

“Do you need me?”

“W-what?”

“Do you need me? I will come if you say you want me to”

“No, Sergio, really. I’m gonna be fine, I didn’t sleep very well and then the fight… I think I’m gonna have a nap”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes”

“Alright” Sergio rubbed his face and sighed “Do you want me to talk to my brother about it?”

“No! Absolutely not!” 

“Fine then, I won’t. Call me tomorrow, okay? Or… anytime you need”

“Thanks, Sergio” he whispered and just hung up. A brief thought about eating breakfast went through his mind but he decided against it, instead he just laid on his side in a ball position, crying quietly and trying to sleep to escape from reality even for a moment. 

He was dreaming about drowning again, this was a reoccurring dream that he had almost every night. Martín was familiar with what was about to happen so it didn’t frighten him anymore. The dream wasn’t pleasant but it was still better than being awake next to Andrés who didn’t even speak to him. He didn’t sleep for long because he was woken up by the sound of the door closing pretty loudly. He opened his eyes, sticky with the dried tears, and spotted Andrés putting away his coat. A package flew towards him and he almost didn’t catch it, that’s how unexpected it was. Inside there was a beautiful black jacket, warm and fuzzy and it was Martín’s size. He slowly sat up and put it on, smiling very softly

“Thank you” his voice was hoarse, almost inaudible but Andrés heard him, Martín noticed him nodding once “I didn’t bring a jacket so… thanks. Very thoughtful of you” Andrés of course didn’t even look at him, that was obvious, yet still hurt. He felt tiny, nonexistent, and he was longing to the days back in the monastery, before the whole situation with Tatiana “Andrés, I said I’m sorry… I can’t stand it” he stumbled onto his feet and approached his friend. All it took was one finger Berlín put up to make Martín stop “Fine” he whispered, determined not to cry. Andrés told him he hated crying so Martín just went for the other thing “M-Maybe we could rent motorcycles and… you know, drive a bit? And then drink and fuck somewhere, hm?” his voice sounded confident and he felt almost proud 

“Motorcycles?” Andrés turned around and Martín’s heart fluttered “It’s been a hot minute”

“Risk is exciting” he was smiling for real now “Come on…” he approached him again and this time Andrés didn’t stop him “I will suck you if you will be faster” he whispered into Andrés’ ear and was rewarded with a soft laugh 

“Alright, deal. What if you win?”

“If I win, you fuck me tonight”

“I don’t need your permission or some deal to fuck you” Andrés murmured and Martín felt a shiver going down his back 

“No” he admitted “I’m always up for something” he kissed behind Andrés’ ear and moved away, reaching for his clothes to find something suitable for a bike ride. Andrés also started changing and Martín congratulated himself in his head for that idea. It was a win for him, totally.

“Have you eaten?” Andrés’ voice was soft 

“Not really” Martín shook his head 

“How about we grab a bite before?” he smiled at him and gestured at the door. They found some place that looked decent and ordered a large pizza, while simultaneously looking for a place to rent the motorcycles. It turned out it wasn’t that far and they were open so there was no problem with making their little plan come true. 

“Grande pepperoni with extra cheese?” a waitress approached them, smiling widely. Andrés smiled back and nodded so she put the huge plate on their table

“That looks so good” Martín sighed happily, taking a slice

“It’s pizza, Martín, it has to be good” they started eating, chatting about the weather here, the things they wanted to do, planning the road for their little trip later on. When they finished their food, Andrés got them a taxi and after half an hour they were putting on helmets

“I’m so excited” Martín was grinning. He loved motorcycles and he actually missed this activity a lot. Andrés wasn’t as passionate about it but he enjoyed races and the speed so they would go for rides from time to time when the monastery was just too boring. 

“You’re ready?” Andrés jumped on the seat and winked at Martín before closing his helmet so it protected his eyes. Palermo did the same and stretched his arms

“Yes! So we’re doing the highway and whoever finishes first, gets a prize” he started the engine and felt the rush of adrenaline. He kicked the gas pedal and laughed loudly when the machine purred under him. 

“Count to three!” Andrés screamed to him, also starting his motorcycle

“One… two… three!” they moved in the same moment and Martín immediately forgot about any problem he had. The air was ice cold at this speed but the road was empty, amazing to drive. He started speeding up, seeing Andrés right next to him. This was a Honda Blackbird, a motorcycle used for races, model CBR1100XX and it could go up to 310 km/hour which was fucking fast. Martín had an opportunity to ride a Suzuki Hayabusa before and that bad boy could squeeze almost 400 kilometers per hour, which was sweet as hell, but that Honda they were using wasn’t bad. The guy who rented them the motorbikes told them not to overdo it because it was dangerous but if there was one thing Martín liked, it was risk. Especially now he wasn’t very careful, not in his mental state, so hitting 250 km after couple of minutes only added to his amazing mood. Andrés was still next to him, his strong arms holding the steering wheel firmly, there was no place for a mistake. Martín was up for a challenge, so he sped up just a bit more, just to leave Berlín behind for a moment. His odometer showed 280 km and he could feel his heart beating fast in his chest. He didn’t know the road but he felt confident on the motorcycle, there was no fear inside him. The road was beautiful, it led pretty straight through some forest, it smelled amazing and Martín hit 300 km laughing like a madman. It’s been too long since he felt that freedom, his whole body was singing to the rhythm of the engine and it kinda reminded him of flying. He took a beautiful, sharp turn to the right and suddenly his heart was in his throat and he forced the brake into the floor, pulling the wheel to the right and trying to stop before a tragedy would happen. He didn’t know how he managed to stop and not crush on some tree but the most important thing was, that the moose that was going through the road didn’t get hit. Martín took off his helmet and only then he felt he was shaking all over, his breath tight in his chest. Berlín stopped couple second after and he jumped from his machine, almost running to Martín

“Are you alright? Hey! You’re okay?” he shook Palermo, looking at his face

“Yeah” he nodded slowly, feeling a bit dizzy “I’m fine” he scanned Andrés’ face and suddenly kissed him, fast and deep “Fuck, I’m alive” he laughed, adrenaline buzzing in his veins

“You’re so irresponsible…” Andrés shook his head “300, _hermanito_? You could get yourself killed, not to mention the stupid moose…”

“Does this mean I win?” Martín smirked, breathing heavily “Come on” he pulled Berlín for another kiss and moaned happily when he reciprocated, opening up and getting their tongues dancing. It hurt a lot because of his scab but it didn’t matter right now, he had to use every chance he could get. He was pressed to his motorcycle, Andrés’ hands on the seat with Martín’s body between them, their lips linked, breaths mixing together, loud gasps even louder in the silent forest

“Enough” Andrés broke the kissing after couple of minutes, panting pretty fast “Let’s keep going”

“Right” Martín was smiling dreamily as he put the helmet back on and hopped on his machine. That was an amazing make-out session and it was so easy to get. He actually started seeing good sides of their situation, when he plays his cards well, he gets the sexy, kind Andrés so all he had to do was making sure he was a good boy.

They finished the route they planned and came back without crazy speeding this time, for the sake of their lives. Martín’s heart was pumping adrenaline only at this point, and he was so worked up he couldn’t stop talking. Andrés found some luxurious restaurant so they could go and have some expensive wine and food. Martín was telling him all about the motorcycles he had or wanted to have one day and it was going and going until he realized that his friend stopped paying attention to him, busy with some woman they stumbled upon. Well, Andrés bumped into her as they were looking for a table and they started talking and well… Martín just wasn’t in the picture anymore. She was pretty, he had to admit – long brown curls, brown eyes, beautiful body, sweet smile. She was dressed in a dark purple dress and Martín wasn’t surprised when Andrés brought her to their table “Martín, this is Emilia, she happens to be from Spain as well. Emilia, let me introduce to you my dear friend, Martín Berrote”

“Hi, nice to meet you” she reached her hand and Martín kissed it gently, already hating her. Turned out that the pair shared their love for art and since Martín wasn’t as much into it, he didn’t really speak much. He already knew there was no way he’s getting anything with Andrés tonight since he would probably take Emilia with him to the hotel. He just hoped for it to be a one-night stand, not something more. When their food came, Martín started poking his meat and move around the other things but he didn’t really eat much. After around half an hour of this torture he stood up, excused himself and whispered into Andrés’ ear

“I’m not feeling too well, I’m going back to the hotel, have fun”

He got himself a taxi and told the guy to stop by the nearest liquor store he found. He bought a bottle of rum and managed to sneak it into the hotel, feeling drunk just at the thought of the alcohol. Their room in the hotel also had a balcony, but the weather wasn’t really welcoming out there… which, well, didn’t really stop Martín. He put on the jacket, grabbed his bottle and went outside, sitting on a very comfortable chair. He was freezing here and actually hated Canada for everything, even the stupid moose that got on the road and made him stop his bike. He opened the rum and sipped from it, wincing at the quality. It wasn’t the best he ever had but it was strong and he knew he would get drunk pretty quickly. This whole trip here was bizarre and a woman was the top of the mountain, what the fuck did Andrés need a woman for?

He suddenly thought how nice it would be to have a puppy. Dogs were cute and loyal and once with someone, they would stick to them forever. Sergio was kinda like a puppy but you couldn’t really pet him. I mean you could, but that would be weird. He even had his favorite toy, his beloved toothbrush. Martín took another couple of big sips and undid his jacket, feeling all of a sudden warmer than before. He wondered what Andrés was doing and if they already fucked or were only getting started or maybe they finished? He must have dozed off because he was woken up by someone’s hand shaking him 

“You stupid moron, you wanna freeze out here?” Andrés was angry, but not furious yet. Good

“Huh?” Martín winced. He felt his whole body being stiff and cold 

“In the shower, now” Berlín’s strong arms helped him stand up and walk towards the bathroom “Hot water and try not to pass out, you drunk ass” 

“What… time is it?” Martín was shaking all over, taking off his clothes

“4 in the morning”

“Shit, you’re back late…” his speech was slurred “Did you… fuck? Was she… good?”

“I wanna hear the water going, Berrote” Martín rolled his eyes at that but obediently started the shower and started warming up and washing away the sweat from the whole motorcycle thing. The warmth also hit his drunk head and by the time he left the shower, he could barely stand by himself 

“Fuck…” he murmured, opening the door and almost hitting Andrés “I’m r-ready…”

“Martín, you’re gonna puke” Andrés crossed his arms, leaning on the door-frame

“Nah”

“Yes, I know that face, the toilet is right next to you… See? Good job, let it out” he sighed and winced, not liking the sight in front of him. There was no surprise Martín was throwing up, he managed to consume ¾ of the bottle by himself. It was strange he wasn’t dead yet.  
It went on for couple of minutes before Martín, exhausted and barely breathing, leaned on the toilet seat

“No sleeping here, up, brush your teeth and go to bed” Andrés pushed him towards the sink and patiently waited for his friend to get things done. He made sure Martín got into his bed and he even helped him cover up 

“And…res.. I, uh…” he tried, already half asleep

“Right, we’ll talk in the morning” Andrés ignored him, getting ready for his shower. He felt pleasantly satisfied after the amazing sex with Emilia in her beautiful house. He wondered if she would agree for a date tomorrow, but that had to wait till the morning. 

Plans changed in the morning after all, and Andrés was glad about it he just didn’t know yet.  
Martín was hungover but in a very good mood all of a sudden, the silver necklace on his neck looking pretty. He seemed like the old him, the ‘before’ Martín and it was a look that suited him. 

“I think we should go home” Andrés said hesitantly, observing his face. Martín grinned and nodded 

“I hate it here, I almost froze my ass off yesterday”

Andrés laughed softly “Yeah, right. And the shitty rum? Martín…” he clicked his tongue and they both chuckled

“You know what? Let’s go to Palermo” his friend looked at him and Andrés got pretty surprised 

“What? You said you don’t want to go”

“I changed my mind I guess. Palermo is close to Belgrano, you could meet my sister”

“Alright” Andrés nodded slowly. Suddenly he decided that Emilia doesn’t really matter. Palermo was like a switch in his head, he knew what that meant and how important it was “I hate Canada”

“It was a bad…” suddenly Martín frowned “Andrés… your hands”

“It’s nothing” he put them behind his back to hide the shaking 

“You take your meds, right?”

“Yes, I do. It happens sometimes” he hated weaknesses, he hated being vulnerable, but Martín knew him 

“It’s okay, you’re still elegant” how the hell Martín managed to stay so sweet after everything Andrés done to him? It was crazy and even he didn’t understand that kind of crazy

“Good, if I wasn’t you would have to find yourself a new friend because I would be a pathetic excuse for a human” Andrés raised his brow, making Martín laugh. Just like before. Freaking Christmas day. 

“No, you know I will stay with you till the end”

“Martín”

“Tell me” he walked closer to him, his messy bed hair looking adorable 

“You know we probably won’t get out of the Mint alive?”

“Dying by your side will be an honor” Martín said surely, confidence in his voice. Andrés just pulled him for a gentle hug, all of a sudden, not planning this, not thinking about it. He heard Martín whisper some encouragement to him as he wrapped his arms around Andrés’ neck

“I wouldn’t want you to die for me” Andrés said, messing up his friend’s already disheveled hair

“You really think we can get out from there? Please. If you die, I will probably die too because I will fight by your side”

“You’re a brave soldier, Martín Berrote” Andrés pulled away from the hug and cleared his throat “But I’d rather prefer you to stay alive so that brilliant brain of yours can be used for a Bank plan”

“I still don’t understand why you wouldn’t want to melt gold with me”

“It was suicide, you know that. Besides… 90 tons of gold, Martín? Even we’re not that crazy”

“We would make this work” Martín started looking for some clothes to wear “Let’s get out of here, I won’t stand another day in this cold ass country”

“I might start hating planes”

“Spoiled bastard” Martín joked “All we’re missing is a cruise ship, some half naked models and champagne”

“What is it, Love Island?” Andrés scoffed, eliciting a burst of laughter from Martín

“How’s Emilia? You’re leaving her without a word?”

“I guess. She wasn’t that special, you know?” Andrés shrugged.

They had a night flight and Martín was asleep on his arm, breathing softly with his face calm and steady. He had a seat by the window, he was a total kid if it came to planes, he loved flying and he always made sure he would have a window seat because the view was his favorite part and he could spend hours upon hour just staring at the clouds and city lights. He did that this time as well, but he was pretty tired so he fell asleep with his head safely on Andrés’ arm. Ha was covered with his new, black jacket and Andrés couldn’t stop thinking how pretty he looked, almost like a little kid. In this moment he almost felt remorse about the situation from two days ago. He didn’t like the fact that he hit him, it wasn’t really his elegant persona, but on the other hand Martín crossed the line a lot. Still, Andrés didn’t like when Martín was upset, it always created this stupid squeezing in his chest he hated that much. He would always just push it back but right now, with his best friend on his arm, he let the feeling consume him just to see what it’s really like. He remembered how years ago Sergio was teaching him emotions, knowing that his brother isn’t really good with them. Happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, and so on. They were easy to spot in people so Andrés could learn and even be able to feel them himself. There were also emotions that weren’t so easy because they were hidden. Pain for example. Pain had different types, there was the physical one and it was perfectly visible when he shot Martín or hit him. There was also the pain of losing somebody which Andrés had seen when Sergio’s father died and his brother was a shade of himself for a long time. There was the pain that lingered in the back of the heart, long and hidden, showing only from time to time, it was Martín’s face basically half of the time lately. There was also longing, the one Andrés liked to see because it was so beautiful, especially on Palermo. They weren’t bad emotions, they were just interesting. 

He was given a glass of semi-sweet red wine he gladly accepted, focusing on the view behind the window. Well, the lack of view to be specific. They were above the ocean now so it was pitch black, the lights in the plane were also dimmed. Martín moved slightly, his nose close to Andrés’ neck so he was breathing on him. It tickled just a little bit but it was pleasant. The flight was very, very long so he decided he could use some sleep as well. He didn’t really like napping in public transport so it was hard to fall asleep and it didn’t even last long, maybe an hour. He woke up with an irritated sigh but then he spotted Martín’s half opened eyes looking at him and he couldn’t help but to smile “Such a sleeping beauty”

“Stop mocking me” he murmured, positioning himself even more comfortably “I’m exhausted”

“You’re exhausted a lot lately” Andrés handed him his unfinished wine glass he put away before. Martín took a sip and winced, making him laugh 

“Ew, I hate it” he darted his tongue out “Tastes like piss”

“You’re not a connoisseur at all” Berlín snorted, finishing the glass “Did you dream about something?” they were both so, so tired at this point that the conversation was just soft

“Drowning” Martín whispered, drawing circles on Andrés’ leg “As usual lately”

“Is it a scary dream?”

“Not anymore”

“Okay” he nodded, deep in his thoughts

“I’m so damn tired” Martín sighed “I could be sleeping for hours. You, on the other hand Mr. Andrés, look like a shadow”

“I hate flying for so long” Andrés growled and rolled his eyes “I also can’t sleep in planes”

“I can sing you a lullaby” his friend joked and giggled, seeing Andrés’ face “Have you slept at all though or you just had your eyes closed?”

“Don’t worry about it”

“Do you always have to brush me off everytime I ask you something?”

“I’m sorry. No, I haven’t really slept, it was more like a bad nap” Andrés sighed, trying to be good to him. Martín was observing him for a while, he looked like an abandoned puppy and Andrés’ heart was squeezing like it was about to explode. He couldn’t stand Martín like this, it was way too painful to watch “How are you feeling?” he was met with silence “Martín?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it right now, okay?” his friend found Berlín’s hand and squeezed it gently 

“Of course” Andrés nodded and smiled, feeling Martín’s fingers lacing with his on his stomach. The pain in his chest eased a little and he finally could breathe. 

“Sleep, Andrés. We have time. Just try”

Andrés looked into his eyes and let it linger for a long moment, before he asked “Martín… would you tell me about your sister?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the sweet comments, I love every single one and it's the best thing ever reading them first thing in the morning <3


	16. It's time to see what I can do to test your limits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so overwhelmed by your sweet comments you have no idea. I wrote 3 chapters today, I'm so excited about them, can't wait for you guys to see. What I _really_ want to know is - do you have access to my private laptop? Because you guys actually tell me things I already wrote or I'm planning to write and this is kind of scary hahaha
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to my lovely Inspectora because I'm obsessed with her (besos!)
> 
> Enjoy y'all! <3

When they finally checked into their hotel all they could do was fall onto their beds, no changing, nothing

“My legs are in pain” Martín complained, stretching his limbs

“I feel you” Andrés did the same, groaning in discomfort “Martín, don’t wake me up for the love of God, please, at least till 2 or 3 pm”

“I’m not going to be up till then, believe me”

Well, turned out he was, because around noon he couldn’t really stay in bed. The weather was amazing, it was warm and sunny and Martín smiled brightly at the thought of seeing his favorite city again with Andrés by his side. He showered, got dressed and went to eat breakfast to the hotel restaurant, at the same time giving his sister a call and asking when they could visit. They settled for tomorrow afternoon, chatted for couple of minutes and then Martín called Sergio

“ _Hermano_ , hello, buenos dias!”

“Aren’t you cheerful this morning?” Sergio was smiling for sure, Martín could hear it

“Guess where we are”

“Oh, you traveled?”

“Guess!”

“Argentina”

“Where exactly?”

“Palermo?”

“Yes!” Martín almost squeaked “I’m so happy now!”

“How’s Andrés doing?”

“Sleeping, poor thing, he couldn’t really rest in the plane”

“How are thing between you two?”

“Pretty sweet for now, I’m not complaining” Martín admitted “We’re meeting Julia tomorrow”

“Say hello from me, hm?”

“Of course” Martín grinned “I wanted to be back here since we left ten years ago”

“I’m so glad, Martín. Remind my brother about Retroxil and call me tomorrow, no?”

“Alright, will do. Have a nice day Sergio!” Palermo hung up and smiled at the phone. He finished his coffee and went back to their room to find Andrés still asleep. He decided to go and buy him something so he took his wallet and sunglasses and left the room, closing the door behind himself.

He was walking, breathing in the sweet air of his favorite place in the world and looking for a gift suitable for someone like Andrés. Most of them were stupid and girly, but he finally found something he thought would be perfect. After picking up the gift, he checked the neighborhood to see how it all looks like, what changed and what didn’t, he found out how far was to the nearest beach and where he could get the tastiest ice-cream. It was well past lunch time when he finally decided to go back.

When he opened the door he noticed Andrés being already awake, a furious look on his face “Are you out of your mind, Martín?!” he welcomed him with a scream “I thought something happened to you, you didn’t even leave a note, you have no respect to me!”

“I got you a gift” he said quietly and Berlín’s face immediately softened “Besides you were sleeping, and I didn’t have anything to write on” he noticed that his friend calmed down so he approached him and handed him a tiny blue box with a neat black bow on the front. 

“What is it?”

“Open” he blushed slightly, watching Andrés checking the content. His face went pale and his jaw dropped and Martín was positive he had never seen him so surprised before “What do you think?”

“You’re not asking me to…”

“No! No, no… No, it’s a… Just a gift” Martín shook his head, uncertain all of a sudden. Andrés took the simple, silver signet ring out of the box and looked at it. It was engraved with some lines and it was generally so elegant it was right up Andrés’ alley “I thought you might… Like it”

“It’s… amazing” Berlín slowly slid it on his finger “Perfect size. How did you know?”

Martín shrugged “I know a lot about you. Call it a promise ring, like I promise to always be by your side, no matter what”

Andrés felt lost. He was suddenly overwhelmed with weird feelings he didn’t really recognize and the squeezing in his chest became unbearable “I… don’t know what to say”

“A simple thank you is enough” Martín smiled sheepishly 

“Thank you” Andrés whispered, but he felt it wasn’t enough so he just pulled his friend for a hug “What did you do?”

“Hm?”

“To me. I feel weird”

“It’s all good, believe me” Martín felt confident about himself “Get used to it” he kissed his cheek and moved away 

It was like Christmas, truly. They were joking, talking and talking and talking and Martín was really happy. He had a tiny glimpse of hope that they were finally going back to normal and he wasn’t sure what exactly flipped the switch but he was very glad about it. Andrés was well rested, eager to walk around and visit the places they’ve been to when they met. It was a real trip down the memory lane

_Palermo, 2009_

_“I can’t believe you stole the diamonds and walked around with them” Martín shook his head, kicking a stone on his way_

_“Well” Andrés laughed with his hands in his pockets “I’m that good”_

_“We should rob something together”_

_“You? Please, you’re too adorable for that”_

_“Fuck off” Martín scoffed, making Andrés laugh even louder “I’m an engineer, I know my shit”_

_“Well, if you say so… It’s not like you’re rich or anything, right?”_

_“Not really” he shook his head “I’m from Pacifico part, nothing special, middle class family. I could use some luxury” he grinned, nudging Andrés_

_“What do you like about Palermo so much?”_

_“The fact that we met in the middle of San Andrés and San Martín” he laughed “The ocean. The weather. I don’t know, I’ve been here my whole life”_

_“Never traveled before?” Andrés sipped his ice coffee from a plastic cup, sending Martín a questioning look_

_“Nah, not really. I haven’t been outside of Palermo to be honest”_

_“Wow, we have to change that”_

_“Why are you here, Mr. Travel?” Martín laughed at his own words “Hm?”_

_“Business” Andrés answered simply “Let’s go to a museum or the gardens, I don’t know, show me something cool, Martín Berrote”_

_Martín delivered even more than Andrés had asked for. While Andrés was slowly falling in love with Palermo, with every district they visited, every public place, every restaurant or café or bar, Martín… Well, Martín was slowly falling in love with his new friend and there was nothing to do about it.  
They spent almost two months there, Andrés staying for much longer than he wanted. They celebrated Martín’s birthday and the next day Andrés proposed him to go with him. It was an easy decision and the next day they were on a plane going to Italy. That’s how it all started. Funny how they were supposed to come back here ten years later – well, history likes to repeat itself._

“You took me to Italy for out first trip together, to Rome” Martín said as they were resting in some café “Do you remember?”

“Of course, you said you wanted to see the pope”

“And I did” he giggled “Amazing”

“Your sister seems nice” Andrés changed the subject “You said she had a son?”

“Yeah, Luis” he smiled at the thought “He’s pretty adorable”

“I don’t like kids” 

“Oh please now” Martín rolled his eyes “So after we visit tomorrow, or the day after… Would you go to the beach with me? For a swim”

“I don’t really swim”

“Please?” Martín looked at him like a doe “Just once”

“I’ll think about it” 

“It’s so nice, you know? Being here with you” he purred softy, leaning his head on Andrés’ arm “Maybe if we get out of the Mint alive, we could get a house here, what do you think?”

“We won’t get out alive”

“You don’t know that”

“Yes I do” Andrés lazily ran his fingers through Martín’s hair “Don’t make plans about tomorrow if you don’t know whether you live through today”

“Are you planning to murder me?” Martín raised his brow, looking up at Andrés and placing a kiss on his neck 

“What if I am?”

“Then make it pretty at least” he giggled “I don’t know, something elegant, for example poison is shit because I will look awful”

“You’re right” Andrés picked up the game “Maybe a gun?”

“Nasty wound, lots of blood. Nah”

“Stabbing?”

“Same deal”

“What do you propose then?”

“Heart attack” Martín smiled at him sweetly “Invisible, easy to hide”

“What about sex?” Andrés locked their gazes “I heard of people dying because their heart couldn’t stand the sexual pressure”

“Perfect” a purr escaped Martín’s lips “We could try that tonight, remember to hide the body though, they will look”

“You think?” Andrés nuzzled Palermo’s cheek with his nose 

“Of course, you should throw me into the river or something”

“You’re going to be heavy though”

“Well, cut me into parts then” 

“You’re so stupid” Andrés shook his head, snorting loudly “You should get your head checked, isn’t Julia a psychiatrist?”

“Yes, she is”

“Ideal” they laughed softly, relaxing in each other’s company. 

Back in the hotel when Martín was getting ready for a shower, he noticed that Andrés was pulling out two glasses and a bottle of champagne. An idea popped into his head and he decided it was worth a try “Did you see the hot tub in the bathroom?” he asked innocently, smiling at his friend

“Indeed” Andrés’ eyes glistened 

“We could have a drink, relax in the water, you know” he bit his lip with a wink 

“Take off your clothes” his friend took his towel and the champagne and went to the bathroom to turn on the hot tub. They slowly undressed, popped the cork and poured themselves two glasses before sliding into the welcoming heat

“Damn, this is freaking perfect” Martín tilted his head back, taking a sip of the champagne “It has a jacuzzi option, see?” he pointed at the button

“Turn it on” Andrés smiled. The whole tub filled with glorious bubbles, tickling and massaging their muscles “Oh, that’s nice”

“Right?” Martín sighed softly and closed his eyes “I could stay like this forever”

“Martín?”

“Mm?”

“Come here” Andrés opened his legs, making some space for Martín to sit in between them, his back leaning on Andrés’ chest. He purred like a cat and whispered

“I’m so happy right now”

Berlín slipped his fingers into Martín’s hair and lazily massaged his scalp, drinking his champagne with the other hand “You know, Martín” he started calmly “You have an amazing ability to get out of any trouble you get yourself into. Have you noticed that?”

“Mmm” Martín wasn’t really listening, he was busy with feeling in love, totally and completely 

“Also, there’s something about you that I can’t really understand… But it somehow makes me want to have you for myself, you know? He kissed Martín’s head “And that’s why I don’t want to see anybody with their hands even near you, hm?”

“I wouldn’t… even want that” Martín gasped softly “But you already know that”

“Yes” Andrés nodded, putting away his glass “It must be weird, being in love, is it?”

“It’s amazing actually. Gets you through the worst because… after all, you adore the person with all your heart and… you’re just happy you can be around them” Martín turned around so he was kneeling in front of Andrés 

“What if that person doesn’t love you back?” Andrés was smiling very gently, his eyes focused on Martín

“It happens, it’s not their fault… You just settle with whatever you get” he shrugged “Some people get nothing, some… get a lot. Like me” his hands held Andrés’ face 

“What if you get a lot only because…” Berlín held him at some distance “the person you love likes seeing you like this”

“Happy?”

“Broken” Andrés corrected “Because it’s not real”

“Well” Martín sighed “As long as he likes seeing me, I will let him do anything”

“Even destroy you” Andrés’ fingers went into Martín’s hair and pulled gently 

“Even that” he was whispering now “You know, you won’t understand that, I think”

“Maybe” he pulled harder and a gasp escaped from Palermo’s lips “But I understand desire”

“If you do…” Martín leaned and kissed Andrés quickly, but with a wet sound that sent a shiver down his back “Then you know I’m crazy about you… And I want you to have me…” he was whispering, feeling Berlín’s hand on his back pulling him closer and closer 

“I know that” Andrés clicked his tongue, his eyes traveling down to Martín’s navel “Tell me your fantasy” he left a kiss on his friend’s neck 

“I have… so many” Martín breathed, his eyes closing slowly, his head tilted back 

“Tell me your favorite”

“Well, you’re my favorite fantasy” he moaned, feeling more kisses on his neck and jaw. They were soft but there were also some bites and these, oh, these were the best “I love when we… ah, fuck…” he shivered with pleasure when Andrés slipped his leg between his “But you could take me… you know… hard” his eyes fluttered open just in time to see Andre’s face and then their lips linked in a deep, erotic kiss “Make me lose it” he gasped in between kisses 

“Keep talking” Berlín encouraged him, letting him move his hips in the rhythm of their kisses 

“Handle me during sex… not because you’re mad at me” Martín just let himself speak up, he was in the moment, relaxed and needy, so it just left his mouth. Andrés hummed softly and grabbed his neck, deepening the kiss and making it chaotic, slowly losing control over himself. It was obvious they were both getting desperate and the only question was who would break first. The water was splashing as their hands were exploring every inch of the other one’s body, Andrés’ fingers going everywhere but to the place Martín wanted him to 

“I’m getting impatient here” he murmured and groaned when he felt the glorious fullness. He moaned loudly, knowing he could be as vocal as he liked, because Andrés liked it. 

“You’re so easy to please, Martín” Andrés panted, kissing him and moving his hand faster and faster

“No, you just know my body so… w…well… oh Lord!” his whole body shivered with a sudden orgasm that hit him without a warning “Oh my God…”

“You look so beautiful when you finish” Andrés murmured, getting Martín to turn around and lean on the edge of the tub “Don’t break your teeth” he warned and got inside him in one swift motion, hard and fast. They both gasped loudly, the feeling marvelous and the water only made it easier

“Yes… like that” Martín hissed, breathing heavily. They were going for what seemed like forever and he wouldn’t lie if he said that it was the best sex he’d ever had in his entire life. Andrés was reacting to his every plea, every moan, faster, harder, deeper, everything Martín wanted, he got. The bathroom was soon filled with the loud sounds of both of them having a bliss together, the water hitting the sides of the hot tub and skin rubbing together. They were barely breathing when they finished and untangled, sweaty and satisfied, trying to sit where they were before. Martín was totally boneless so he was glad Berlín wrapped his arms around him and positioned him just like before. They were silent for couple of minutes, calming down their breathing and fighting the sudden sleepiness. 

“We should go to bed” Andrés murmured, visibly exhausted. Martín nodded and made an attempt to stand up, being pretty successful, his friend following him. They quickly dried themselves off and not bothering putting anything on, stumbled towards the bed. The same bed. When they fell on the covers, Palermo rolled over to his side and looked at Andrés who happened to be staring back at him 

“This was the best sex of my life” he whispered, linking their foreheads. Andrés’ arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him closer, the heat radiating from their bodies keeping them warm 

“You managed to do better than any woman I’ve ever been with” Berlín whispered back with his eyes closed. They shared couple gentle kisses and smiled at each other, vulnerable and so, so happy

“What if we just left, hm? No plan, nothing” Martín’s fingers laced with Andrés’ 

“And we will be getting money from where?”

“Occasional robberies” he snorted seeing his face “What?”

“I’m dying, _querido_ ” Andrés placed his thumb on Martín’s cheek and slid it down to his lower lip “I don’t want to die not being able to take care of myself”

“Doesn’t suit you” Martín hummed “The death bed”

“It does not” he agreed, caressing his face “But let’s not talk about it now, eh?”

“Okay” they went silent, just staring into each other’s eyes as if they were looking for some hidden treasures. Martín put his hand on Berlín’s chest to feel his heartbeat and smiled softly

“What is it?” Andrés asked softly

“ _Te quiero_ ” it was barely audible but Martín surely did whisper it “And I think you do too”

“ _No possible_ ” 

“I don’t have to hear the words to know” he laughed very quietly, kissing Andrés’ slightly parted lips “You don’t even have to know it, but I’m… I think I’m right”

“You’re very wrong but do we really have to talk about it now? Hm?” Berlín sighed “I’m tired”

“I just remembered. Sergio told me to remind you about Retroxil”

“I remember” Andrés nodded, playing with Martín’s hair “I do”

“Is that your medicine?”

“Mhm” he sighed heavily, his eyes closing “Let’s go to sleep”

“Alright” Martín smiled softly when Andrés put the covers on them and went back to hold Palermo in his arms. They were as close as it was possible and he was pretty positive he could stay like this till his last day. Maybe he could?

_Milan, 2012  
_

_  
“No, you can’t just assume that, Andrés” Sergio flicked his glasses with irritation, knocking the board with a piece of chalk “You have to pay attention to the person”_

_“But it’s easy to see, like when I can tell you’re irritated” Andrés raised his brow, waving his leg a little_

_“Right, but think this – what if under my irritation is, for example, sadness?”_

_“Why would it be?”_

_“See? That’s what I mean, emotions are not just… the visible things. You get the visible ones, but it’s the reason your two marriages failed, you don’t see the whole picture”_

_“Because it’s complicated!” Andrés stood up “Look, she seems all happy and smiling, and then all of a sudden she tells me she hates me and our relationship and leaves me” he looked straight into Sergio’s eyes “How do you explain this?”_

_“Well” Sergio cleared his throat “There are signs you can spot – how she looks at you, how she responds to your questions. How she acts when you do things together. Is it the same as before?” he was writing it all down on the board “See Martín. Hm? What can you tell me?”_

_“You’re suddenly an expert? You barely talk to him” Andrés crossed his arms, slightly offended “I would even say you don’t really like each other”_

_“It’s not about liking him, I asked what do you see lately”_

_“Lately?”_

_“Yes, you know, after his father called him and told him to never speak to him again?”_

_“He seemed… unbothered?” Andrés bit his lip, focusing “But it’s not true, right?”_

_“Good, good, so what is it? Take a guess”_

_“Sadness”_

_“Correct” Sergio smiled “What else?”_

_“Shame?”_

_“Interesting. Why?”_

_“Because… maybe he wanted his father to… be proud of him and not to hear that he doesn’t work as an engineer”_

_“Better, so much better” Sergio seemed proud “And Clara?”_

_“Bitch” Andrés scoffed, shaking his head_

_“What could she feel leaving you?”_

_“Happiness?”_

_“You really think so?”_

_“I don’t know, regret? That it all broke… Maybe longing to the times things were different? She wanted kids, Sergio!” he hit the table with his fist_

_“Hey! Don’t go into berserk mode, por favor” Sergio clicked his tongue and sighed “We’re not talking about what she wanted and you didn’t. I’m asking about emotions”_

_“I know” he was about to continue when Martín walked into the classroom smiling at Andrés and ignoring Sergio. At that time they weren’t really close yet_

_“Hi, you’re busy? What is all of that? He looked at the blackboard “Oh, emotions. How’s he doing, an A-student?” Martín sent Sergio a playful look “Hm? Professor?” yes, years later they would remember that conversation when choosing their names for the heist, not even a hint of hesitation in Sergio’s case_

_“He’s doing great” Sergio flicked his glasses again and looked away. They weren’t really comfortable in each other’s company just yet although sometimes they would discuss some books or movies._

_“Well, I came to ask if you want to go for a ride” Martín sent Andrés a wide smile, leaning on a desk_

_“Motorcycles?” Andrés’ eyes widened and when his friend nodded, he smiled back “Yes, of course. How about we take Sergio, he’s quite a rider himself?”_

_“Oh, it’s not necessary, I have uh…”_

_“You think who goes and who doesn’t and I’m gonna change” Martín winked at them and left the classroom, the door closing itself_

_“Stop trying to push me into spending time with Martín. He’s your friend not mine!” Sergio scoffed_

_“Yet. Come on, hermanito, you’ve never been with us. It will be fun”_

_“Fine, alright… Let’s finish this lesson”_

“This can’t be right, where did you get that information?” Andrés winced, his brows furrowed

“In college?” Martín started laughing “It’s actually pretty obvious if you think about it”

“I kind of feel like you just destroyed a part of my knowledge about the world” he shook his head and laid back on the soft pillows. It was ten in the morning and neither of them was hurrying to get up.

Martín smiled at him “College usually does that to people” his hand went onto Andrés’ forehead moving some hairs from there 

“Now I know why all of your plans always work, you just know more than all of us!”

“Oh no, my secret’s out” Palermo rolled onto his stomach and purred happily when Andrés immediately started scratching his back “What do we do now?”

“You can’t throw things like that at me when I’m sober!”

“You started the subject” Martín rested his head on his arm, looking at his best friend. He looked so cute with the morning hair, soft facial expression, gloriously naked and sitting like a Greek god “Next time I’ll put a warning”

“Perfect” Berlín chuckled, closing his eyes “We’re seeing your sister at… 4?”

“Mmm” 

“Meeting family… wow, who would’ve known”

“Hey, I already know your brother”

“Oh please, you and my brother are like twins, it’s kind of worrying me” Berlín snorted “He gave you a gift”

“How sweet of him” Martín stretched like a cat, adoring the attention he was getting as well as all the touches 

“Exactly… Why are we doing this again?”

“So you can meet someone from my family so we’re even”

“We should get her flowers?”

“She loves them” Martín moved closer so Andrés’ hand could go lower on his back “I think it would be nice of us”

“Now I’m nice, uh” Berlín rolled his eyes, shifting a little “Reputation? Ruined” his hand landed in Martín’s hair 

“Don’t be a baby” a soft gasp left Martín’s mouth at the caress “Oh that’s nice…”

“You should be a cat, Martín, I swear… Look at you”

“I would eat a cinnamon roll for breakfast” Martín got lost in thoughts

“Healthy” 

“I know” he didn’t let Andrés mock him “Come on, I’m starving” he moved after a minute or two but Andrés’ strong hands kept him in place

“I have something better to offer you” he smirked, tracing Martín’s back with one finger

“Oh, is that so?” Palermo was already in, sitting on his lap 

“Better than breakfast… at least for an hour or so”

“Show me” he giggled, allowing Andrés to throw him onto his back and got lost in kisses and touches and the beautiful cloud of happiness.


	17. Have you ever seen the rain?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I adore this chapter and I think I nailed it, it's _soft_ <3 and then there's Julia, she's fierce and the hero of the story and I'm proud I created here like this! I dedicate this chapter to everyone who makes me laugh in the comments, the things you see and the jokes you make, ah, keep them coming, _por favor_! Enjoy the last seconds before the rollercoaster does a flip!

“You two collaborated behind my back, just admit it” Andrés rolled his eyes, shifting in his swimsuit and putting on the pants “I’m not much of a swimmer”

“I know, I know, but we’ve already established that you’re not a coward as well so” Martín giggled, looking at him softly “You’ll live”

“I just hope your sister knows how much of an ass you sometimes are, Martín Berrote” a pillow flew towards Martín but he ducked to the side and burst out laughing “Come on, we’ll be late”

“You look handsome” Palermo approached him and readjusted his collar of a beautiful white shirt with delicate blue stripes “There”

“Thank you” Andrés murmured, observing his face and lingering very close to his lips “Let’s go” he moved away before his friend got a chance to kiss him “Don’t forget the flowers!”

“Such a tease” Martín rolled his eyes, taking the bouquet and following Berlín towards the elevator. They had a taxi already waiting for them 

“Is it far?” Andrés settled comfortably and looked at Martín with a smile

“Nah, 20-25 minutes or so” he put the flowers between them and sighed nervously 

“Hey, what is it? You’re nervous?” Berlín scoffed, smirking and shaking his head “Please, Martín”

“Yeah, sorry” he lowered his gaze, calling himself stupid in his thoughts. They drove in silence and Martín’s leg was jumping like crazy from stress and anxiety. It was making him nervous, after all he was aware that Julia didn’t really like Andrés and he was afraid there was going to be a bloodbath. He suddenly remembered that the last time he was that nervous was when Andrés left him with Sergio for couple of days, because he had some urgent matter to take care of. Both of them knew each other for couple of years at that point, but they wouldn’t spend much time together due to the constant traveling Andrés and Martín would do

_Marseille, 2015_

_They were both sitting in silence in the beautiful apartment Andrés fell in love with. Martín was familiar with the place since they got here two weeks ago, planning to stay for couple of months, but Sergio came yesterday and he felt pretty much a stranger. Martín knew a lot about him from Andrés who sometimes would go into talking mode and bubble about his little brother for hours. He wasn’t like this even with his many partners, like ever._

_“Hey, uhm… Would you want to go for a… I don’t know, beer or something?” he asked, smiling at him gently. Sergio smiled back, his nervous facial expression changing a little_

_“Yes, yes… Good idea” they went out, Martín in his elegant shirt and coat, Sergio in a blazer and leather jacket. He didn’t fit in to the atmosphere of the place but at the same time he felt so comfortable in his own skin, Martín felt kind of jealous_

_“So what did your brother do to make you come here?” he started a conversation, leading Sergio to his favorite bar “You don’t seem to be a travel type”_

_“I’m not” Sergio laughed nervously “He said he needed me but I started suspecting he just wanted to show off the apartment and his newest girlfriend”_

_“You’re probably right” Martín made a face “I’m pretty sure she’s the one” he was so sarcastic that he managed to make Sergio snort loudly. They looked at each other and started laughing like crazy, almost bursting into tears. When they finally managed to calm down, they reached their destination and Martín ordered them two beers in his beautiful French_

_“You know, I respect you” Sergio admitted, taking a sip “You manage not to shoot yourself or him with all of those women he brings”_

_“He’s like a cat bringing dead mice to your doorstep” they laughed again, looking at each other_

_“I guess I’m starting to understand why my brother adores you so much and keeps you close” Sergio nodded_

_“Yeah, well” Martín shrugged “I’m his only friend, because he’s simply an asshole”_

_“I’m… going to agree on this” Sergio admitted, looking around “How do you know French?”_

_“Same reason I know Italian and English, try not knowing the languages when you’re constantly in a foreign country and half of the time your company leaves you alone for a woman”_

_“Fair enough” they were sipping their beer for couple of minutes before Sergio asked “You’re an engineer, right?”_

_“True. I’ve seen you with some books I know couple of times, so I assume you like the topic?”_

_“Actually yes, I help Andrés with robberies, you know, the technical stuff”_

_“Yeah, me too” Martín smiled “We spoke couple times about science so I know you’re like a genius, but I’m not sure how much”_

_“Oh, no, no” he blushed, making Martín scoff “I just like reading”_

_“Yeah, I do too. Do you also like psychology? You teach your brother all the stuff about emotion and so on”_

_“It’s pretty interesting, actually. Have you ever researched anything in this area?”_

_“No, not really, but I might know some stuff, for example Freud’s psychoanalysis blows my mind”_

_“Dios mio, right? Actually, this guy was a genius but his obsession with sex concerns me a lot…”_

_Ans this is how two people closest to Andrés formed a bond. It wasn’t strong yet, no. It wasn’t a beginning of a friendship either, it couldn’t be when they were about to be apart from each other for almost a year after their time in Marseille. But it was a start of something, something that later on saved Martín’s life._

When they reached Julia’s house, they noticed her already outside, waiting for them. She was wearing a yellow maxi dress, her hair down, a bright smile on her face and as soon as Martín got out of the car, she ran towards him and jumped on him, grabbing his neck and laughing happily

“ _Hermanito_!” she kissed both of his cheeks, looking like a ray of sunshine “I’m so happy you’re here!”

“Nice to see you, you look wonderful” he complimented her, gazing behind to smile at Andrés “This is my, uhm, my best friend, Andrés de Fonollosa. Andrés, this is my dear little sister, Julia”

“ _Señorita_ ” Andrés handed her flowers and kissed her hand like a real gentleman “I’m glad to finally meet you, Martín talks about you a lot”

“Wow, thank you, they’re beautiful” Julia smelled the flowers “I thought I would never have an opportunity, Mr. de Fonollosa” she sent him a bright smile 

“Andrés, please” Berlín nodded his head slightly

“Julia then” she giggled, taking her brother’s hand “Come in, I made a cake”

“Oh, yes!” Martín groaned happily, squeezing her sister’s fingers as they walked. Felipe welcomed them in the door, shaking Andrés’ hand and asking him to the patio for a drink. Martín went to the kitchen with his sister, smiling softly 

“It’s like our husbands are having men time, and we’re gossiping in the kitchen” Julia giggled, opening the fridge “Put the kettle on, would you?”

“Of course” Martín nodded, doing it immediately “It really does feel like it though” he admitted, letting out a laugh “How are you?”

“Well” she turned around, her cheeks rosy “I have a surprise for you, but you can tell nobody just yet”

“Okay?” he got excited

“I’m pregnant” she bit her lip, a wide grin on her face

“No shit” Palermo’s jaw landed on the floor and he was at his sister in a second, grabbing her and spinning around couple of times “You for real?”

“6 weeks” she laughed quietly, linking her forehead with Martín’s “Felipe doesn’t know yet, so shh. I’m surprising him in a week, for our fourth anniversary”

“That’s so damn cute, I’m so happy for you!” Martín put his hand on her stomach and felt the tears gathering in his eyes 

“Martín!” Julia whispered, also crying already. She wiped some tears from her brother’s cheek with her thumb and held his face “Would you be the godfather?”

“It will be an honor” he sniffed, hugging her tightly “What do you think it will be?”

“A girl” she smiled, caressing her stomach “I would name her Maria”

“Beautiful name” Martín was a ball of happy tears and he didn’t care how stupid it looked, he was just overwhelmed with emotions “I’m grateful to be a part of your life again, Julia”

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you. You never stopped meaning the world to me, you know? And…” she hesitated “I talk about you when I call our father”

“Oh” Martín stiffed “How… How is he?”

“He’s doing fine” she nodded, biting her lip “You know, I never forgave him for doing this to you”

“It’s in the past, Julia, forget it”

“No! How can he be disappointed with you” she shook her head “You… you’re smart, no, you’re a genius… and you’re such a great friend, and your heart is so pure, I… I just don’t get it, you know?” she looked at him with sadness in her beautiful eyes 

“I stopped caring years ago” he squeezed her hand gently “Really”

Julia nodded and sighed but suddenly there was a frown on her face “What is it?” she pulled his wrist closer “Martín?” she looked at him confused 

“It’s nothing, I, uhm… It’s nothing” he quickly looked away 

“You can tell me” she caressed his arm “Hm?”

“It’s just… I made a mistake with Andrés and… he grabbed me a little too hard” Martín couldn’t even look at his sister “It wasn’t… it wasn’t his fault, really…”

“Martín” Julia grabbed his arms and made him look at her “Abuse is never the victim’s fault” she touched his almost healed lower lip “Was it also… a mistake?” Palermo gave her a single nod “ _Hermanito_ …” she hugged him tightly, caressing his back 

“Don’t pity me, really, I’m over it… We’re good”

“You lost some weight” she noticed “And those marks… That doesn’t look good”

“No, really… We’re okay now. Actually, I feel like I’m living in a dream”

“Yes, a dream?”

“What do you mean?”

“Dreams aren’t real, my love”

“This one is… Or, well, as long as it is I will be living in it” he smiled at her

“Would you mind if I talk to Andrés about you? Like, about his feelings, you know?”

“Sure, just… don’t mention this” he pointed at his wrist

“Of course” Julia nodded, patting her brother’s arm and taking the cake “Make some coffee and bring it to the patio, I’ll be right back”

After they ate and Felipe excused himself for an important call from work, Martín snatched Luis and was running around the garden with him, making the boy laugh from the top of his lungs. Julia and Andrés were standing on the patio, leaning on the balustrade, glasses of wine in their hands

“They’re adorable, don’t you think?” Julia smiled at Andrés, attempting to start the conversation

“Martín is so childish sometimes” he chuckled, shaking his head

“Well, you have to be around little kids” she shrugged, taking a sip “So, you and Martín?”

“What about me and Martín?” Andrés raised his brow

“What’s between you two?

“Well” he turned to watch his friend. If Julia had to classify the look he was giving Martín, she would call it “heart eyes”. Andrés was looking… no. He was _looking_ at Martín constantly, a smile wandering on his lips all the time, his body relaxed… He seemed happy “He’s my dearest amigo”

“Oh, please” she giggled “Martín is such a gossip, he doesn’t shut up about you” she teased, wondering if she can somehow make him talk

“Typical” Andrés clicked his tongue “He’s just that extra”

“What do you like about him?” she took the bottle to fill Andrés’ empty glass 

“Hm” he hummed “That’s a good question, I’ve never… thought about it”

“We have time” she nodded, waiting patiently

“He’s such a clever thing” Andrés said after a moment “He’s one of the smartest people in the world probably, right next to Sergio”

“Agreed”

“You met Sergio, right?”

“Adorable, awkward, genius. Yeah, that guy” they both laughed “What else do you like about my brother?”

“He’s loyal. I haven’t met many loyal people and he’s just… Well, not really. He betrayed me once, but… I forgave him”

“Did you tell him?”

“He knows” Andrés smiled when he saw Luis pulling Martín’s hair and him screaming in fake pain, making the kid giggle 

“Do you find him handsome?”

“Pretty” he corrected “He’s pretty”

“What’s the difference?”

“He’s… more than just a person, you know? I see past his appearance, past his behavior. He has a pretty soul”

“That’s beautiful” Julia smiled softly “Very romantic”

“This is art, Julia” Andrés turned to look at her “Not romance”

“Do you really think so?” she crossed her arms on her chest 

“Don’t you? Don’t you think there’s art in tenacity of how Martín keeps his soul so pure? It’s remarkable. I think it’s my favorite part of him. He can be hurt, broken, pushed away and still… still, he stays pure. Pretty”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’ve done it” he smiled, locking their gazes “It’s merely a top of the mountain, what I’m telling you”

“Andrés, how do you know you love somebody?”

“You’re asking in the topic of your brother?”

“No. No, actually I’m asking because I want to know if you see it as art too”

“Well, so…” he didn’t have a chance to finish because Martín appeared in front of them with Luis in his arms, sweaty and smiling

“He needs a diaper change, I’m sorry to interrupt” he panted, handing the kid to Julia

“I’ll be right back… Would you stay for dinner? Or like… for the night even? I was thinking, maybe… beach day tomorrow?”

“Yes! We were actually going to go anyway” Martín grinned, looking at Andrés who just nodded 

“What are you guys talking about?” he asked when Julia took her son inside. Berlín pouted a little and looked at Martín 

“You know. Art. Psychology. You”

“Mhm” Martín nodded, taking the wine glass from Andrés and taking couple of sips “You are okay with staying?”

“Sure, why not?” he nodded, taking the glass back “Julia”

“What about her?”

“Funny thing” Andrés smiled, looking somewhere in the distance “Smart. Has to run in the family, eh?”

“I don’t know” Martín blushed at the hidden compliment “Do you…” he bit his lip

“Do I what?” he murmured, taking Martín’s chin and making him look at Andrés 

“Do you want to kiss me?” he asked awkwardly, all of a sudden not sure about what was between them 

“Martín” Andrés laughed softly and pressed his lips to Martín’s for a short and soft kiss “There” he whispered “Why so shy all of a sudden?”

“I don’t know” he blushed even more “We’re in public and… you’re not really… I don’t know”

“You’re sweet” Berlín shushed him with yet another kiss “But we’re not a couple” he whispered, tracing his cheek 

“I know” Martín was breathless at this point and it took a lot not to throw himself at Andrés 

“Behave then” he moved away with a soft smile, right in time for Julia’s comeback with her son

“There you go” she handed Luis to Martín with a giggle “Felipe is making burgers, he’s the master of barbecue” 

“Is that so?” Berlín asked politely, his eyes following Martín who took Luis to the sandbox 

“You’ll see” she nodded “So, where were we?”

“Art” Andrés sipped his wine, the taste of Martín’s lips lingering longer than it should “Whether I see love as an art”

“Right. Do you?”

“I would say yes. See, this is like painting. You create something very carefully, you take time, you… you can destroy it with one wrong movement. It’s easily destroyed”

“Isn’t the painting worth it? After all?” she looked at him softly

“Too easy to mess up”

“Or maybe you’re just too afraid to paint, Andrés”

“I paint a lot actually” he shook his head “My painting has many layers, unlike yours. Your life is simple therefore… boring”

“I wouldn’t call it boring”

“I would. It’s not for me, it’s lacking… the excitement, the passion, the unknown”

“Interesting” she murmured “Are you okay with one bed, you and Martín?” Julia changed the subject “We have a guest room with only one king-sized bed”

“Perfect” Andrés nodded “You don’t like me”

“Why do you think so?”

“I read people quite well. You think I hurt your brother and you don’t like me for it” he turned to be face to face with her. Julia scoffed softly

“Wrong” she smiled “I didn’t like you before but… I see you with my brother and… he seems happy”

“We’re not a couple”

“No?”

“No”

“What about that kiss?” she knew she had him when she saw the inch of shock on Andrés’ face “Yeah, I saw it accidentally”

“More than friends, less than lovers” Berlín answered calmly

“Funny, how do you call that arrangement?”

“Exactly that” 

“I like your ring” Julia spotted it on his hand “A gift?”

“From Martín”

“How cute” she smiled “He’s so thoughtful, don’t you think?”

“You and Sergio would make quite a pair” Andrés smirked “The same energy and putting their noses where they don’t belong”

“You’re so nice” she said ironically but took no offense “I really liked Sergio, he’s like a lost puppy”

“So true” he sighed when he saw Martín allowing Luis to throw sand at him “Martín!”

“What?” he raised his head, looking at his friend

“You’re gonna bring the sand everywhere!” Berlín sighed “I’m going to ask your husband if he needs help. I’m not a bad cook myself”

It was around ten in the evening and they were sitting on the patio, empty plates on the table, wine glasses in their hands. Julia was cuddled with her husband on a swing, they had their legs covered with a fluffy blanket. Andrés and Martín were on a bench, Martín leaning on Andrés also having a blanket on himself. It wasn’t cold, it was just a bit chilly but Berlín’s body kept him warm. Andrés and Felipe were deep in a conversation about some French painter they both liked, Julia was on her phone and Martín was just resting, happy to be with Andrés and his sister. Andrés’ left hand was under the blanket, lazily caressing Martín’s side and he would pay millions upon millions to make the moment last forever. He risked a little and reached for Berlín’s hand, lacing their fingers together. Not interrupting the conversation, Andrés looked at him with a hint of smile, letting him know it’s okay. After some time Felipe and Julia said their goodbyes, telling them to feel at home and reminding Martín where the bathroom and their bedroom was. Martín sent them air kisses and when they were alone, he shifted a bit so he could look at his friend “Thank you so much for today” he whispered, smiling softly

“For what?” Andrés looked so peaceful with the blanket around him, Martín’s heart clenched 

“For being so nice to them. I’m grateful for that”

“I’m a gentleman, besides… I like those two, they’re very fun to be around with”

“I know” Martín went silent, looking into Andrés’ eyes, Andrés looking right back and there they were, kissing softly, gently, carefully like they weren’t sure if that was alright. Martín pulled away first, totally overwhelmed “You take my breath away” he whispered, afraid to destroy the moment

“Breathe” Berlín murmured into his lips “Breathe, Martín” he kissed him deeper this time, his eyes closing at the intensity of the kiss 

“What happened to you?” Martín gasped, pretty surprised, when Andrés’ strong arms pulled him into his lap 

“You happened” Berlín kissed his neck couple of times, making Martín go boneless in less than a second “We don’t have to be in love to do this, hm?”

“Please be like this forever… I don’t want to… oh… fight” 

“It works both sides, if you’re good, then I’m also good to you” their lips met again in a passionate kiss that left Palermo moaning softly “Shhh, _cariño_ , we’re not in the bedroom” 

“I’m sorry” Martín gasped, resting his forehead on Andrés’

“Quiet” Andrés’ hand pressed Martín even closer, his lips on his neck doing magic and Martín was having a very hard time not to make a sound, every gasp was louder than the ones before and Berlín had to put his hand on his friend’s mouth to silence him “Martín. I told you something”

Martín was looking at him with big eyes, shaking with desire, completely still with Andrés’ hand on him 

“Alright then” he took his hand away and smiled at Martín’s swollen lips “I like your lips like this” he hummed, touching them with his thumb and smiling widely “I like when…” he leaned and pulled Palermo’s lower lip with his teeth, hard, until he felt the metallic taste of blood on his tongue and Martín mewled quietly “You let me do whatever I want” Martín chased him to kiss him properly but Andrés ducked away “No, _querido_ , I’m the one making the rules here” he captured Martín’s lips in a deep kiss, let it linger until they were almost suffocating and then pulled away, admiring his work. Martín was pliant in his arms, his gaze hazy and clouded, his lips swollen and red. He looked wrecked and it was the most beautiful sight in Andrés’ life. He laughed softly, in low voice, and sighed as he caressed Martín’s cheek “Look at you” he whispered “All crazy about me” he linked their foreheads and closed his eyes, just taking in Martín’s scent, his rapid breaths “This is my favorite thing about you”

“Andrés” Martín whispered, his arms wrapping around his friend’s neck 

“My work of art” he moved some pieces of hair from Palermo’s forehead, scanning his face “My most prized possession”

“You know I’m yours…”

“You belong to me” Berlín murmured into Martín’s ear “You’re my masterpiece. I created you, I made you. And I’m proud of what I did”

“You’re so sexy when you talk” Martín gasped, not even listening carefully, he was just too busy with Andrés’ lips tracing his ear 

Berlín laughed quietly before saying “Can you stay silent if I take you to bed tonight?"

Martín felt a shiver going down his back and a huge grin appeared on his face “Yes”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Andrés” 

“Then go, have a shower and wait for me”

When Martín was showering, Andrés was smoking outside. He rarely smoked, but sometimes, on some occasions, he liked to have couple of drags just for pleasure. Today, he decided he deserved one cigarette for the awesome work he had done.

When he finished his own shower and went out with borrowed shorts, Martín was already in bed, laying on his side and waiting for him. He purred like a cat when Andrés hovered above him and sighed happily when they started kissing, quietly but with burning passion of people very into each other. Martín was super sensitive, reacting to every single touch with a soft mewl or gasp, looking gorgeous and smelling amazing with some lemon shower gel. Andrés placed a trail of kisses from his neck through his stomach to his thighs, taking off his boxers and kissing in between his legs, smirking when Martín’s body arched off the bed and he had to put a hand on his own mouth to stay silent. He’d never done that before because the whole concept was pretty disgusting for him, but he wanted to see if Martín could keep his promise. He was only placing very gentle kisses through his whole length and his friend was shivering, gasping and his hand was desperately trying to stay on the side of the bed. He managed to withstand to the moment Andrés took him into his mouth, then his fingers slipped into Berlín’s hair and grasped tightly but didn’t push. Andrés hummed softly, focusing on breathing through his nose and listening to the beautiful sounds Martín was making. He worked him to the edge and let go, not wanting for it to end so soon, coming back to kiss Palermo so he could taste himself

“What was that with this hand, hm?” he chuckled “You wanted to push?”

“Maybe” oh Martín was wrecked, more than usually 

“Oh yeah? Do it then” Berlín was smiling with the smile he knew made Martín’s knees turn to jelly “Come on, do it” Martín was hesitating for only a short moment before his hand went into Andrés’ hair and he pulled him harshly, clashing their lips together. He pulled again to gain access to his friend’s neck and sucked a beautiful hickey there, then another one. Berlín had his eyes closed, a smile wandering on his lips as he let that all happen exactly like Martín wanted. This messy make-out session lasted for couple of minutes but then he got impatient so he got rid on Andrés’ shorts and linked their hips, needy and begging for something more with his whole body

“Such a hurry” Berlín clicked his tongue, caressing Martín’s leg “We have whole night to go as many times as we want”

“I know” Palermo breathed out slowly and smiled “You make my blood boil, you know?”

“Good” Andrés slipped one finger into Martín “I want it to steam” Palermo’s eyes closed and his lips parted so he quickly added another, going slowly but deeply and he knew exactly when his friend was close “Don’t” he warned him, smiling widely. Martín’s head fell back and he opened his mouth but the only thing that got out was a soft gasp of pleasure. His body shuddered and he quickly kissed Andrés to avoid any more sounds. They kissed couple of times and Andrés whispered “Very, very good. You look beautiful”

“Give me a break” he gasped, still on the high

Berlín laid next to him, observing his face “You turn into jelly in my hands, Martín”

“Because you’re so fucking good” Martín shook his head “And I’m really into you”

“Perfect combination, hm?”

“Yeah” he opened his legs with a smirk “Come on, _querido_ , take what’s yours” 

They were making love for hours, again and again and again until totally exhausted they fell on the mattress, panting and giggling like teenage girls because they beat their own record. Martín was floating on his own feelings, laying on Andrés’ chest as Andrés was very quietly singing “Ti amo” to him. If he would die in the next moment, he would die happy because there was no place he would rather be. He knew the song didn’t mean anything, it was just Berlín’s choice as he loved romantic Italian tunes, but still… He was in love and nobody could make him stop.


	18. The road to nowhere leads to me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *internal screaming* BUCKLE YOUR SEATBELTS

They came for breakfast on the patio pretty late, whispering to each other and smiling. Julia grinned at that, knowing exactly how they spent the night and thanking herself for the idea of making them stay.

“Good morning, how did you sleep?”

“Morning, _cariño_ , amazing” Martín kissed her cheek and nodded at Felipe “Hello, pretty face” he ruffled Luis’ hair, talking to him in a sweet voice. After breakfast they drove with Julia’s car to their hotel so they could get changed and take some stuff and they went to the beach. Martín was in amazing mood, he missed the ocean and was beyond happy he could see it again. They changed into swimsuits and when usually Andrés would stop his gaze on Julia’s beautiful body, now all he wanted to look at was Martín. They were both sporting hickeys on their necks and it was so obvious they were sleeping with each other that there was no point in hiding that. 

Martín relaxed even more when Andrés started putting sunscreen on him, massaging his arms and the nape of his neck “Mmm…”

“You’re so soft” Berlín chuckled, pressing a kiss behind his ear and handing Martín the tube so he could return the favor. Martín also helped Julia and they all started sunbathing, speaking from time to time about unimportant stuff and details that didn’t matter. Andrés still didn’t notice the bliss he got into, he was just enjoying his time with Martín and didn’t give it a second thought, probably for the first time in his entire life

“Should we go for a swim?” he probably dozed off because Martín’s voice woke him up. He smiled and nodded, sitting upright and taking a sip from his water bottle. He didn’t really like swimming but decided that he could do that for his company, after all he would be bored to death alone here. Julia took off her sunglasses and all of them went towards the water. Martín was grinning widely and as soon as the waves hit his feet he sped up, going deeper, cooling down and getting his whole body wet. Andrés smiled at that, following him and observing Julia and Martín splashing at each other. He didn’t join the party, he just allowed the water to reach his chest and he stopped, breathing in deeply and calmly, finding it actually nice, especially with the sun and everything. 

After sometime Julia told Martín something very quietly and started coming back onto the towel, smiling at Andrés as she walked by. He didn’t really need to ask, she was a woman, they had their secrets and other weird things they liked doing and Andrés could never understand. 

He was walking in the water enjoying the sun for some more time, but then he decided to go and sunbathe some more, maybe talk to Julia about art again. He waved at Martín who was swimming carelessly and slowly came back onto the towel. He laid down with a sigh and relaxed, allowing the sun to kiss his skin. Julia was wearing a beautiful hat, also getting her tan and enjoying one day without work or her son. 

“Hello, handsome” she joked, opening her eyes and sending Andrés a playful smile “Martín still being a fish?”

“Yes” Andrés laughed, shaking his head

“He always loved water, every time we would go to the beach he was the first in the ocean and the last out” Julia shared a memory she had “Mum had to scream at him to come back”

“How old were you when she died?”

“Our mom? You don’t know?” she frowned at Andrés who shook his head “Shame on you. I’ll tell you though, Martín was 16, I was 5”

“How did he react?”

“Very badly” she sighed “I don’t even remember her, but Martín… I know he had a hard time, had to repeat a year at school… Yeah”

“Do you talk to your dad?”

“Not really” Julia bit her lip “You know, when he… basically disowned Martín, I… I just stopped talking to him, we call each other from time to time but it’s more like… You know, how are you, how is your baby, how’s work, bye” she smiled sadly “I never forgave him for treating Martín like shit”

“I’m sorry” Andrés frowned, feeling like it was the right thing to say “At least you have each other”

“True” her smile widened but then she frowned, hearing some girl screaming “What’s going on?”

It was the middle of the week, not many people on the beach so it was easy to spot a girl, around 20, screaming for help in the water. She was waving her hands and crying and Julia immediately rose to her feet, ready to run. Andrés reacted identically. He was faster than Julia so he reached the girl first and froze immediately, like somebody turned him to stone. The girl was trying to pull someone from the water, two other girls helping her but they were visibly too weak to do so, especially while panicking and screaming. Julia appeared next to him, pale as a ghost and shook Andrés violently “What are you doing, go! Andrés!” she pushed him towards the girls and Andrés immediately ‘unlocked’, he moved one of the girls away and grabbed the arms of Martín who was coughing and wheezing like he couldn’t catch the air, not able to stand on his own, constantly falling back to the water. Berlín felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest and he had never felt that scared in his life. In fact he never felt scared before but this… this was serious. He used all of his strength and the help of the girls to take Martín out of the water and lay him down on the sand. At this point there was quite a group of people waiting on a coast, whispering between each other, someone was looking for the phone, one child was crying. Julia quickly started calming everyone down, stopped the attempt of calling for the ambulance and made sure the people left to give Martín some space. She stood with the girls who screamed and started comforting them down and thanking them for their help, as well as asking what exactly happened.

Andrés was shaking all over, panting heavily as he held Martín’s head on his lap and watched him spit more and more water out and finally throwing it all up. It was unbelievable how much ocean water was in his body but eventually he stopped, coughing and wheezing, so Andrés sat him up and took his face between his hands, looking at him intently, madness in his eyes “Are you okay? Martín? Tell me you’re okay! Please, tell me nothing happened to you”

Martín suddenly started crying, his body trembling really badly so Berlín just pulled him to his chest and wrapped his arms around him, pressing his lips to his head “Shh, it’s okay… It’s okay, I got you… It’s okay…” he felt his cheeks getting wet and realized he was crying. It baffled him completely, this was something so weird and surprising he had no idea what to do, how to react. He shook his head and wiped his face, completely shattered, before whispering “Martín, please, say something…” he pulled him away to look at his face and he pushed the wet hair from his face, feeling his lower lip trembling “Martín” he was about to lose it all if his friend wouldn’t speak

“I c..can’t…” 

“Shh, okay” Andrés immediately closed him in his arms again and started rocking him gently, placing his hands on his back and caressing slowly “I got you. Breathe, Martín. _Respira_ … Martín, _respira_ ” he closed his eyes, trying to calm down his racing heart. Martín was alive, nothing happened. He was here, alive “I’m with you” he started caressing his hair until after very long time, he felt him relax “Just keep breathing” he looked at his face again and linked their foreheads, not caring if someone will see “In and out, Martín, love, in and out” 

“I… I just…”

“No, don’t talk” Andrés put his thumb on his lips “Just focus on breathing now” he started breathing louder so his friend could hear “Breathe with me. In… Out… In… Out…” he kept this going until Martín wasn’t shaking anymore and he was breathing fairly normally “You…” _scared me_ was what Berlín was about to say but he held his tongue and said instead “You feel better?”

“Yes” came as an answer and Andrés broke completely, the huge amount of stress and anxiety overwhelming him and he couldn’t control neither his tears nor quiet whispers escaping his lips 

“I thought I would lose you” he whispered, holding Martín tightly, breathing in the salty scent of water from his skin 

“I… panicked. I don’t know, it was… It just happened, suddenly I had my lungs full of water and… and those girls started screaming and I couldn’t stand up… it was like in my dream… but worse…”

“Martín, you should lay down on a towel and rest…” Julia finally felt like it was the right moment to approach them “You must be tired”

“I got this” Andrés became possessive, not wanting to let Martín out of his arms for even a second 

“Alright” she smiled at him “Help him then”

“Can you stand up, Martín?” Andrés asked, letting him hold his arm and lean on it as he was getting up “Good, hold on to me” they walked towards their place, Berlín making sure his friend had his support the whole time until he was safely laying down. Andrés handed him a bottle of water and kept an eye on him till Martín dozed off, completely exhausted.

“You impressed me” Julie said quietly, placing her hand on Andrés’ arm and sending him a sweet smile “Really”

“I did what had to be done”

“You did so much more… You should have seen how he melted in your arms, complete trust. And you knew exactly what to do to calm him down"

“I know him”

“Mhm” she kept looking at him

“What now?” Andrés frowned a little but she only giggled “Julia!”

“You’re so in love, Andrés” she laughed, reaching her hand to caress his wrist 

“What? This is bullshit” he scoffed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. It was so stupid he didn’t know what to say 

“I can prove it” Julia held his hand “For example, you called him ‘love’ and you started crying like a baby when he wasn’t answering”

“I call him a lot of things”

“There’s a difference between friends with benefits and the lovey-dovey party you have going on. You should have seen the way you look at him, like he’s your whole world” she kept talking in a soft voice and Andrés was speechless. He didn’t have anything to say to that, nothing came to mind to push away those accusations “I know you don’t believe in emotions or feelings or whatever, but… I think you have to accept the fact that you’re in love with my brother and there’s nothing you can do about it” Julia was grinning with pride “I would even risk by saying that you have been for some time now, I don’t know how long but… Long enough to lose your mind for him. Andrés, it’s one thing listening about you to Martín who’s head over heels in love so he’s not really a reliable source, but then I see you two together… I see how you take him on your lap and kiss him in a way that my brother falls apart and then you make love the whole night…” she bit her lip “Admit it. Don’t be a coward”

“It’s… not love”

“It is, although some things you do… I’m just gonna say I saw Martín’s wrist and I hope I won’t have to see something like that ever again, hm? Understood?” she completely dominated him and for the first time Andrés felt that he was losing the argument by walkover “You make him happy. Very happy. If you’re brave enough to hurt him, then be brave enough to be with him. No, sorry, it seems like you already are together. Tell him that you love him. After all, he already told you multiple times as far as I know”

“I’m really… I’m not… in love” Andrés whispered, frowning at his own confusion 

“Your chest tightens when he’s around? You want to kiss him whenever he’s close, take him to bed not only because he’s handsome… Andrés, you’re someone who mostly gets in bed, am I right?”

“Yes…”

“And what did you do yesterday? Did you give?”

“How… do you know?”

“I didn’t, it was a wild guess” she smirked “Let’s continue… where were we… ah, right. You can’t stand being apart from him, you don’t like him with other guys. You care for him deeply and even if you’re mad at him, you throw everything away to help him, is that correct?”

Andrés stared at her with his lips parted 

“I’m gonna assume it’s a yes. You can’t stand women for longer period of time because…” she laughed “They’re not him. They don’t know you that well, they don’t click with you like Martín does. And, oh I almost forgot. The only reason you treat him like shit is the fact that you can’t stand the thought of having such weakness”

“Martín isn’t… my weakness”

“No. Your love for him is and you can’t stand it”

“It’s… No” he was shaking his head quickly “You’re… lying”

“No, I’m telling you what I see. And I’m pretty sure there’s much more what I cannot see” Julia grabbed Andrés’ both hands “Think about it, because my brother? My brother is the best you can have and I’m not sure if you deserve him” she let go of him and stood up, walking over to Martín and laying next to him, not paying any attention to Andrés anymore. 

Berlín was staring into the distance with his lips opened and his thoughts a mess. There wasn’t a lesson for that and besides… it couldn’t be true. He didn’t… He couldn’t! It was not possible, right?

“Andrés, I’m telling you for the third time, slow down! I don’t understand what you’re saying!” Sergio was losing his mind at his brother’s attempt to tell him what happened “I got the part about Martín almost drowning and then about Julia telling you you’re in love?”

“Yes, she did that and it’s a lie, I don’t understand, you didn’t teach me love!”

“Everything she said, uhm… is love”

“No”

“Yes”

“Sergio!”

“I’m sorry, _hermano_ , it is what it is”

“I have to go”

“Hey! Don’t do anything stupid” Sergio said, biting his lip anxiously “Listen to me, please”

“What?”

“It’s not weakness. It is not. Please just talk to Martín, be smart”

“I think… I have to be alone for a moment” he hung up, biting his nail. He gazed at Martín who was resting on the bed, watching tv. After his nap they decided to come back to the hotel and allow him to take some time to calm down completely. He seemed fine with his big bowl of ice cream but never too much safety.

Andrés on the other hand was furious. He hid it pretty well from his friend but here, on the balcony, he couldn’t stop pacing around, biting his nails and pulling at his hair. He had never felt so messed up in his entire life and the worst thing was that he had no idea what to do with it. He felt like his whole life was a lie and he actually knows nothing about himself. It was probably the scariest thing he could experience, not counting Martín almost drowning of course. He had always been so sure about himself, always so proud his actions never get clouded and messed up with emotions, that his friendship with Martín is so pure and clean and… And it turned out everything is a lie. The worst part? He believed it for so long that anything else was just a threat to him, something dangerous that needed to be eliminated.

In the middle of his mental breakdown he felt a warm hand on his arm and he turned around, spotting Martín smiling softly. Andrés felt anger boiling in his veins like liquid lava, his fear from emotions overwhelming him “You did this to make me show affection to you in public?” he asked, watching as the smile disappeared from his friend’s face

“What are you talking about?”

“Your beautiful performance on the beach, what do you think!”

“Andrés…” Martín laughed nervously “I had a panic attack”

“This is how you call it? You… You do this to make me do something? Is it your master plan you figured out with Julia’s help?”

“I d… I don’t understand” Martín reached his hand to touch Andrés but he was faster, grabbing his wrist and pushing him back inside until his back hit the wall with a loud thud 

“Suddenly you don’t understand?! How many times did I tell you we’re not together? How many?!”

“A l-lot” Martín looked scared but he wasn’t fighting, he just let Andrés do whatever he wanted “But I don’t… require you to… l-love me… back…”

“You told your sister to tell me all this bullshit?”

“What did she tell you?” Palermo whispered, trying to be soft and kind to calm Andrés down but there was nothing he could do to stop a wolf who just got his tail burned by fire 

“You know exactly what she told me!” he shook him, making his body hit the wall again and Martín let out a quiet hiss of pain 

“Please, Andrés, I don’t… know…”

“She tried to make me believe that I’m madly in love with you and you’re my only goal in life, as if I need anybody!” he screamed and Martín’s eyes widened “Can you believe that?! She gave me a whole ass speech about the signs that mean I’m in love with you!”

“Andrés, but… I thought you…” he bit his lip “do love me”

Andrés started laughing like a madman. He tried so hard to keep his feelings in that it sounded like he was totally fucked up and it looked scary

“I don’t love you, I’ll never love you and I never did” he said and they both could hear Martín’s heart falling to the floor and shattering to pieces. It has never been said out loud before so Palermo clung to a glimpse of hope he had but now… “You are my toy. My doll that I can fuck whenever I want because it won’t protest! I can do whatever I fucking wish, I can tear you apart and you will thank me for it!”

“Andrés…”

“You are my biggest disappointment, you know why?”

Martín shook his head, tears dripping down faster and faster

“Because you’re a fool. I took you as a brilliant genius, amazing engineer… and yet you fall to such a stupid illusion of love. No wonder why everyone leaves you, you just cling to things that don’t exist and people are tired of that bullshit” Andrés said calmly and Martín sobbed. He felt like he was dying “You’re totally fucked up and you will never be normal. You believe in a lie and that’s why you’re in so much pain. I’m not surprised your father doesn’t want you”

“Please stop” Palermo cried out but Andrés only pressed him harder to the wall, eliciting louder sobs from him “Andrés, stop!”

“You brought this all on yourself by your stupid behavior and what’s more, you made me the bad guy who doesn’t wanna love you back. What the fuck is it, Love Island? We’re thieves, robbers, not fucking teenage girls! I can’t stand you and your tears. You could probably jump from that balcony now and I wouldn’t fucking care!”

“An-Andrés, please. Please” Martín was crying uncontrollably now, his whole body shaking “You don’t… Think that…”

“You are nothing. You have nothing. You will always be nothing” Andrés hissed, hitting Martín’s body on the wall once again “I never wanted you and if not for your blind devotion I would throw you out years ago”

“You don’t think that”

“We’re done” Andrés let go of him, his gaze ice-cold “Get out”

“You know what?” Martín managed to get his shit together enough to be able to talk “This? This doesn’t hurt me. You didn’t hurt me now” he laughed sadly “You know why? Because I know it’s not true. I’m not mad at you at all, because nothing you just said was true. It was so mean and desperate that I didn’t even let it hit me… You know how you managed to hurt me to the core?” he sobbed “You are too scared to admit that you love me, so you prefer to throw me at the wall and talk shit to me” he approached Andrés without a hint of fear “After all… you’re the coward. I am a fucking boss because I had the balls to tell you that I love you. I’m not ashamed or scared, fuck, here you go – I love you, Andrés” he shrugged “But you? You’re too scared to talk to me about it, to maybe accept that you managed to open your heart and let me in… No, this is beyond you, eh? But you know what?” he turned around and snatched his suitcase “Now you’re going to pay for it. I’m not chasing you like a dog my whole life, not when I know you’re in love with me. No. Now you’ll see how painful it is, when a person you love leaves you” he started packing, Andrés not moving even an inch “I want you to choke on your own fucking words, Andrés, I want your sadness to eat you until there’s nothing left of you! I can stand everything. Hear me? Everything. You can kiss me, fuck me, curse at me, hit me, throw me at the wall. But you can’t run away!” he let go of the suitcase and grabbed Berlín’s shirt, pulling him close, painfully close, and letting out a sob when their lips naturally linked in a deep, desperate kiss. It was salty and wet, almost too much and still not enough, too fast but yet too slow. Andrés slipped his fingers into Martín’s hair to keep him from moving away but Martín was smarter this time. He broke the kiss, panting, and shook his head “No. Stop” he had to look away, not able to stand the look on his friend’s face “You want me so much it hurts you and scares you. You’re terrified because you’ve never been so dependent on another human being” he resumed his packing, furiously throwing his things into the suitcase and not caring about checking if he had everything. He zipped it and looked up at Andrés who wasn’t sure if he was mad, sad or both “I hope you’ll realize what you’ve done” Martín’s face was covered in tears but he was determined to leave “Don’t look for me” his voice broke and it took a lot not to throw himself at Andrés right there and then “I love you, but… sometimes the best thing you can do is walk away” he let out a shuddered breath “You don’t even have the fucking courage to say something now” once again he let go of his suitcase, rubbing his face and pacing around, not able to take the one step and just walk out of the room. He felt Andrés pulling him into his arms and kissing him, so sweetly and so deeply that Martín completely lost it, sobbing loudly, desperately until finally he hit his chest with his fists couple times, using all of his inner strength to let go of him. He grabbed his case and opened the door, shaking all over. He turned around one last time, smiling softly and sadly “Adíos, Andrés. I’m sad you will never find out what I did to protect you… Maybe it’s better cause I’m afraid the knowledge would kill you” he closed the door gently and started walking, his lower lip trembling. He broke only in the taxi, shaking his head when the driver asked if he needed help. He didn’t. There was nothing that could help him now.

Being in Sergio’s arms was like drinking water after days of being thirsty on the desert, it brought peace and a feeling of having steady ground under his feet. Martín was grateful he came to pick him up, he wouldn’t stand being alone for much longer

“Are you hungry?” Sergio asked quietly, caressing his back 

“You know what?” he looked at him with a hint of a tired smile “I would gladly go for some ice cream”

“I’m so proud of you” Sergio held Martín’s hand and squeezed it “You have no fucking idea”

“Thank you” Martín leaned closer to him “I feel free” he jokingly kissed Sergio’s cheek 

“Martín, jokes are jokes but there’s a line” 

“I know, let me enjoy myself for a second” he laughed openly “I made the right choice, I know it” his phone buzzed again. Martín peeked at the screen, noting the 33 unanswered calls from Andrés. He didn’t have any plans to answer them anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	19. Perfectly wrong (it's alright)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know we're closer to the end than further and I'm not ready to let go of this story just yet :( uh, today's dedication goes to Katia, I love you _chica_ <3 Enjoy my fav people!

Martín couldn’t sleep. It was the first night since forever he was spending completely alone and he couldn’t deny the fact he was missing Andrés like crazy. His sheets smelled like him so he changed them. He took off the necklace and put it back on after not even a minute. He played with the thought of calling him back. He put away the phone. He brought back the blanket and smelled it. He threw it into the washing machine along with the sheets and sat on the floor watching the machine clean them off, destroying any scent that was left. He watched blankly as his phone buzzed at 3 am. He turned it off and back on. Finally he couldn’t anymore. 

He knew it was a bit rude but he couldn’t care less “Sergio” he sat down on his bed, shaking his friend very gently “Sergio, wake up”

“Hmm?” he moved, wincing and immediately looking for his glasses. Martín handed them to him in silence “Martín?”

“I can’t sleep”

“Okay” Sergio sat up, rubbing his face “What’s on your mind?”

“He won’t stop calling me” he sighed 

“Turn it off”

“I can’t” he whispered “I can’t stop thinking how he kissed me as I was about to leave… Like he wanted me to stay…”

“Martín, don’t forget everything he said before that”

“He didn’t mean it. Don’t you get it, Sergio? He loves me” Martín laughed softly “He’s in love with me”

“And look where it took you both” Sergio sighed heavily, adjusting a little “Why are you here?”

“I told you, I can’t sleep”

“You can stay as long as you remember that I’m not him” he grabbed Martín’s hand “Understood?”

“Yes, sir” Palermo nodded, sliding down and waiting for Sergio to get under the covers too “You know, I don’t mean anything by being here… I just… I’m not used to being alone at night anymore”

“I get it, don’t you worry” Sergio looked at him intently “Tell me something… What did he say when you were leaving?”

“Nothing” Martín shook his head “He didn’t say anything, he just… kissed me”

“If my opinion matters to you, I also think he didn’t mean what he said”

“Of course he didn’t. He got scared of his own feelings”

“I wonder if he comes back here soon”

“I need to tell you something” Martín bit his lip, nervous all of a sudden 

“Go on”

“I didn’t pay Tatiana to leave”

“What!?” Sergio sat up so suddenly that his glasses fell from his nose onto the sheets and he took a good thirty seconds to find them “What are you talking about?

“So… Tatiana was in the basement and she held her gun and pointed it at me and said that I can have whatever I want with Andrés as long as he won’t cancel the wedding…”

“What?” Sergio gasped, anxiously grabbing Martín’s arm 

“She said… that she wants the money from the divorce and… that if I tell Andrés about it… she will kill me… and if I cause him to cancel the wedding, she would kill him…”

“You’re shitting me” 

“No” Martín laughed sadly, placing his head on Sergio’s arm “I said I will pay her to leave us alone and not hurt anybody… but for that I had to steal the money from Andrés because I didn’t have that much” he sighed, feeling his heart being light after finally telling the truth 

“Martín” Sergio held his face with his hands and looked at him “Does he know?”

Palermo shook his head “I’m scared to tell him”

“So… you took the blame to… protect him” Sergio gasped and when Martín nodded, he just hugged him tightly “Why didn’t you tell me earlier, you moron?!”

“It wouldn’t have changed anything” Martín whispered, breathing in Sergio’s scent, fresh and light as a feather 

“Are you kidding me? It would change everything”

“It doesn’t matter. I ask you to keep it a secret”

“No, Martín, we have to…”

“No” Martín put a finger on Sergio’s lips “We really don’t”

“But…”

“Sergio. Please. It’s my decision to make”

“Alright” he nodded and Palermo took away his finger “I’m here for you”

“I know” he smiled sadly “What do you say for some whisky and music?”

“I’m in”

They snatched a bottle of a very good whisky, took it to Sergio’s office and put on some music. They were stupidly dancing and drinking until they were barely standing. Martín would always get touchy after strong alcohol and there was no difference now as he wrapped his arms around Sergio as they rocked to some awfully sad latin music “Do you think he… will come to see me?” Martín murmured, his words slurred

“It’s Andrés, he always comes home…” Sergio was no better 

“Do you think… I would make him jealous… kissing you?” he looked at Sergio, frowning to clear the blurred image a little 

‘He’s not here tho” Sergio was thinking with his whole body at this point

“We can tell him” Martín laughed and soon they were both giggling like crazy "Or just like... take it as... a challenge!"

“I’m shy though” a whisper came from Sergio “You have to… close your eyes”

“But then I won’t see your lips” they tripped a little and almost fell “Oh!”

“Watch out” Sergio rolled his eyes, holding onto the desk “And fine… I’ll close my eyes”

“Alright” Martín was so drunk at this point it was almost funny. He waited for Sergio to shut his eyes and he leaned forward, placing a kiss on his lips that was worse than kids in kindergarten kissing each other 

“You’re shitty” Sergio murmured, almost disappointed. Martín giggled and did it again, this time deeper and more like a real kiss. They both gasped, holding onto each other not to fall and laughing at the absurd of the situation

“I kissed you. Now you have to do something”

“Like what?” Sergio frowned, obviously too drunk to think

“Call Julia and tell her she’s cute” Martín laughed like it was the best joke ever

“Noooo” Sergio looked terrified “I won’t do that!”

“Then you’ll be a loser!”

“I will… text her” 

“Fine” they both were giggling as little girls as Sergio was texting Julia. His text was so ridiculous and full of mistakes, it was obvious he was drunk but they didn’t really care “Your turn”

“What do I do?”

“You have to carry me to bed… like I’m a princess” Sergio laughed and Martín didn’t even hesitate. He managed to lift him up and Sergio wrapped around him like a baby koala. They started walking, hitting the walls and doorframes, almost falling but finally they were in Sergio’s bed, crying laughing

“I will be alone forever” all of a sudden Martín started crying, not able to even try hiding it 

“What? Why?”

“Because Andrés doesn’t want me” he sobbed, clinging to Sergio who started caressing his arm “He is too scared… so I probably lost him forever…”

“He will start thinking” Sergio said, trying to be reasonable and pretty much failing

“I will be alone…” Martín sniffed loudly, pressing himself to his friend “Nobody wants me…”

“I want you” Sergio’s arms wrapped around Martín and they just stayed like this, slowly falling asleep with the sound of Martín’s cries getting quieter and quieter. 

It’s been couple of days since Martín and Andrés visited Julia and she managed to get back to her routine, kinda missing having her brother at the house. It was so good to once again have a real relationship with him, just like when they were kids and everything was still good. She even started liking Andrés, he wasn’t that bad and she forgave him for taking her brother away so many years ago

_Palermo, 2009_

_“What do you mean you’re leaving?” Julia closer her book with a loud thud looking at her brother sitting in front of her “For how long?”_

_“Andrés wants me to travel with him and… I really want that too” Martín smiled dreamily “I don’t know for how long”_

_“You promised to help me move out when I start college” Julia hated crying but she was very close to it right now_

_“Dad will help you… Look, it’s…” he sighed “I really like him”_

_“No, you have a huge crush on him and he doesn’t like men so you’re going to end heartbroken” she crossed her arms and her lips formed a thin line_

_“No, that’s…”_

_“Martín” she interrupted “I know you, I see how you speak about him, please. You won’t fool me, you can fool dad, even yourself, but not me”_

_“Anyway, we’re leaving for Rome tomorrow”_

_“Tomorrow” she raised her brow “Wow, you’re telling me very early about it”_

_“It was a sudden decision”_

_“Wow” Julia scoffed “I hope he hurts you” she turned around, angry and sad. Martín lowered his head, staying silent and she felt bad “I’m sorry. I actually don’t want that”_

_“I know” Martín opened his arms “Hug?”_

_“Sure” they embraced and stayed like this for a very long time, not speaking, just hugging_

_“I’m going to miss you”_

_“Me too, Martín” she whispered, fighting the tears that just couldn’t stop falling_

_The next day she said goodbye to her brother when Andrés was waiting in the car. She could tell how excited and happy her brother was at the thought of going to Italy. She was smiling but she somehow knew that she wouldn’t be seeing him anytime soon_

_“I love you, Martín, watch out for yourself”_

_“You too, Julia” he kissed her cheek, squeezed her arm and jumped into the car, smiling at Andrés. Julia waved at them, her lower lip trembling. She hated Andrés with all her heart but she clung to the thought he made her bother happy so that was all that mattered._

She was secretly dreaming about them getting together and having little family gatherings, she could imagine how happy they all would be. They could bring Sergio as well, it would be so cute. For now, she just hoped that her little speech was the reason they started talking about feelings, and maybe finally confessed to each other.

It was pretty late, around ten in the evening, Luis was sleeping and Felipe was getting ready to bed, it was quiet and peaceful, that’s basically why she was so surprised when she heard knocking – no, banging – on the front door. When she opened, she saw Andrés, pale and looking completely wrecked, pacing around nervously “Andrés” she gasped with surprise “Where’s Martín?”

“I need to… to talk to you” 

“Tell me what happened” Julia led Andrés to the patio, seated him on the big swing, gave him a blanket and a glass of wine and sat next to him, ready to listen. When he started talking… it all just crushed. He was going on and on and it seemed like it wasn’t going to end, but then he got to the part when Martín wasn’t answering his calls and he couldn’t stand it and he thought he might have come here, to his sister. Somewhere in the middle of the story she noticed his eyes getting wet and soon he was crying, real, raw tears dripping down his cheeks. She was mesmerized, because suddenly this narcissistic bastard showed his true colors and turned out… they were just grey. At least for now. When he finished there was only silence and quiet sounds of Andrés sniffing 

“He was right, no?” she looked at Andrés, taking his hand “About how everything you told him was not true?”

“Of course it wasn’t true” he whispered, shaking his head

“Are you scared of commitment?” 

Berlín was silent, chewing on his lower lip

“I think you need to know something” she decided it was the right time to tell him “What he meant by protecting you”

“You know what he meant?” Andrés raised his head, suddenly nervous and excited at the same time

“Yes” Julia nodded “He told me. It’s about Tatiana”

“Tatiana?” he frowned

“Mhm. So… he lied to you. That he paid her. That’s not what happened”

“What?!” Andrés started breathing heavily 

“Listen” Julia caressed his arm “Tatiana threatened to kill you or him. She said that if the wedding gets cancelled she will shoot you so she can get money and if Martín would tell you, she would kill him. What Martín did was he stole money from you to pay her, so she would leave you both alone and unharmed” 

“What are you talking about…” Andrés stood up, his hands in his hair, madness in his eyes “You’re lying…”

“Why would I lie?” she was calm, looking him straight in the eyes and she noticed the exact second when Andrés broke. 

It wasn’t pretty, neither quiet and when Felipe stormed on the patio, she just put a finger on her lips, caressing Andrés’ hair as he knelt in front of her with his head on her lap, howling like a hurt wolf. Julia gestured at Felipe to leave, closing her eyes and rocking softly in an attempt to calm Andrés down. It was like every single emotion and feeling he kept closed and pushed away somewhere deep in his heart managed to get out and totally overwhelmed him, crashing him completely. He was acting like a wounded animal and it took a very long time until he stopped yowling. It was a total rampage and Andrés seemed so distraught that Julia’s heart couldn’t handle this, she had no idea someone could be so broken. 

“Andrés” she whispered, checking if he was good enough to speak but no. Andrés was crying like a baby, clutching at her leg and she didn’t even try moving him or pushing him away. She had time for everybody, she was a psychiatrist after all, but Andrés held a special place in her heart. Yes, that was true. Not because he was Martín’s best friend but because she was the person he decided to trust enough to come and seek comfort while he broke. She noticed him shiver, so she threw the blanket on him and slowly slid down to sit in front of him, looking for some signs of what to do next. She had to be extremely careful but she wasn’t afraid of Andrés. She knew all to well he was the scared one. Scared of himself “You should stay the night, hm?” she gasped when his head fell onto her chest and he wheezed, tears falling down in silence onto the floor “Come on, I’ll take you to bed, make you some tea… Come, Andrés” she held his hand waiting for his attempt to get up. He managed to stand up by himself although he didn’t let go of Julia’s hand for even a second. She took him to the guest bedroom and stayed until he laid down “Do you want some tea?” she asked but seeing him shook his head, she closed the door and sat on the bed looking at him “You can fix this, Andrés. I know this” she caressed his arm “But for now, try to get some sleep. I’ll be upstairs in my bedroom if you need anything”

“Retroxil” she heard him whisper

“Sorry?” 

“I need some Retroxil… I forgot to take it…”

Julia spotted his hands shaking and she immediately realized what this was about “Do you have it in your hotel room?” when he nodded, she stood up and sighed “Give me your key, I’ll go get it. You rest”  
While driving to the hotel she was deep in her thoughts, her fingers banging on the steering wheel. She was playing with the idea of calling Martín but then she decided they need to solve this situation by themselves, without her direct actions. There was also the thing with Andrés’ condition… Did Martín know? He had to… 

She was even more torn after she came back home with the meds, then before. She tip-toed into the guest bedroom to find Andrés wide awake, laying on his side, his hands trembling “I’m here” she whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed “You need help?”

“Do it, please” he sniffed, closing his eyes. She knew what to do, so she quickly maneuvered with the syringe, prepared it, filled it up with Retroxil and took Andrés’ hand

“Ready?” he nodded so she inserted the needle, pushed the pump and took it out, closing it and putting away with the mental note to throw it out as soon as she leaves the room “You’re all good now”

“Thank you” Andrés nodded, looking much more relaxed

“I’ll leave you alone, okay? Sleep a little” Julia caressed his head and got up, taking the used syringe with her. 

The next morning she was having coffee at the kitchen table, Felipe already at work after taking Luis to the day care. She had two more hours before work and just hoped Andrés would wake up before she leaves. He actually did soon after that thought appeared in her head. He looked awful but she didn’t even blink at that, she just smiled and poured him a cup “Morning” she observed him carefully 

“Toasts?”

Andrés shook his head, accepting the coffee and taking a sip 

“Can we talk now?” Julia asked carefully, biting her lip

“Sure” Andrés’s voice was hoarse

“Uhm… How are you feeling?” she reached her hand to touch his “I’m not asking about Martín and the whole situation, I’m asking about you”

“Just tired” he shrugged “I don’t know”

“I would…” she hesitated “If I can suggest something… Don’t be afraid of your feelings. I know how scary it seems to you, it’s new, you think it will make you vulnerable… But look how you work with Martín. Look how you fit together, like you know each other so well you can tell what next move the other one will make. Allowing yourself to love Martín won’t make you weak. It will make you stronger”

“Feelings make people weak. They get stupid and their judgment is wrong”

Julia smiled “Andrés, have you seen Martín? It doesn’t matter if you love him back or not, he will always act the same. He would give his life for you and you would do the same, no matter if you admit your feelings or not” she squeezed his fingers “Doing what you do won’t change anything because you already feel it. The only thing you do is bring yourself pain”

“I’m dying anyway”

“And he will be by your side till your last day, you know it” she sighed, making their gazes lock “You make yourself weak by pushing your feelings away. You make a strong pair, you and him, imagine what you can do if you’re both finally true with yourselves. It’s real, Andrés, so real it gets to your bones”

“I don’t want to lose control”

“Being in love is the best thing you can have in life, especially when the person loves you back. Andrés, don’t tell me you don’t adore my brother. He’s been in love with you for ten years and he’s loyal. He will die by your side. Nothing will change if you confess your feelings to him… well, one thing will, but it will only be for the better. Martín is fucking strong. Imagine what he can do if he can lean on you”

“He can always lean on me”

“Have you seen him when you’re acting like a couple? Don’t you like him like this?”

Andrés was biting his lip, looking somewhere far away

“Martín is everything that your previous relationships were supposed to give you but failed. He’s that and more. And deep down you know it, you’re longing for it and you know that when you admit that you love him, you guys will be unbreakable. I just think that you’re not ready” she nodded

“I’m not” Andrés shook his head, lowering his gaze

“You have to work it out yourself, but… Start with telling me. How do you feel about Martín?”

“I…” he was nervous “I think I…”

“Take your time” 

Andrés looked like he just discovered a way of living forever. Something just clicked in his brain “Fuck, I…” he hid his face in his hands “I don’t understand”

“This is not for understanding, Andrés, it’s for accepting” Julia stood up and walked up behind him, embracing him from behind “Just let your heart speak for you and don’t get mad at it”

“So does that mean that this tight feeling in my chest is…”

“Yeah” she giggled, still hugging him “And you weren’t getting mad at Martín, you were getting mad at yourself because you couldn’t comprehend what was happening with you. Is that true?”

“I don’t… know” he frowned, letting her hold him

“Well, you have to believe me here. When would you get mad? Try thinking about it”

“When…”

“Let me help you. Whenever you were poked at some string connected to your heart? For example, jealousy?

“Yes” Andrés nodded, being pretty surprised “That’s exactly it”

“Mhm, and then why do you think it’s better with him than with any woman you’ve been with?”

“I can’t understand that”

“It’s because sex with someone you love will give you satisfaction that nobody else can” Julia whispered, making sure she wouldn’t crush everything 

“Oh”

“So? What do you think?”

“I think I ruined everything” Andrés turned his head to look at her “Do you think it’s too late?”

Julia couldn’t help but smile “No. Martín is helplessly in love with you, no matter how hard he tries to stop”

“I should go” he tried to stand up but Julia held him in place

“Wait” she sighed “One more thing you have to learn”

“What?”

“Did you hurt him?”

“…yes”

“Multiple times?”

“Yes”

“Then there’s something you have to do”

“What?” Andrés frowned “Oh” he nodded “Apologize”

"Do you think it will be enough to apologize?" Julia crossed her arms and looked at him "You have to be aware that what you did asks for much more than I'm sorry and honestly, I let Martín decide for himself because he didn't want me to interfere, but if you ever raise a hand on him again, I'll call the police on you" her voice was suddenly ice-cold "Do you understand?"

"Yes"

"Good. Do you feel sorry for what you’ve done?” Julia bit her lip, not sure if Andrés was able to feel something like this. Remorse

“I… wish I haven’t done it” he admitted “Like I didn’t want to make him cry”

“Good, what else”

“And hitting him… It’s not me, I wouldn’t do it again”

“Why?”

“Why?” he looked lost “Because… Because I don’t want to make him sad”

“Because?”

“Because… I like his smile and when he is all bubbly around me and…” a smile appeared on his face “I adore him. He’s…”

“He’s what?” Julia tilted her head a little 

“He’s… He needs to be around me because I don’t feel whole without him”

“Oh” now it was her turn to be surprised “So?”

“So… If this is all love then…” he gasped “I’m… in love… with Martín”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let's just clap for this stupid _hijo de puta_ hahaha, took him long enough


	20. Don't cry for me, Argentina

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhmmmm *bites her lip* So, here's a thing... I don't know how that happened but it's like 5200 words hahaha. I'm dedicating this chapter to you all, because I love you and I appreciate you a lot ❤️ besos 
> 
> This is it. The Scene we've all been waiting for! BUT it's not the end just yet, no, no, no. You're gonna have to put up with me for a second more.
> 
> Also before you read this chapter, you guys, open this link and listen to this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD_1Z8iUDho - IT'S AN ORDER! And please, _please_ , focus on the lyrics, it's very important and fitting

It was a beautiful day to be alive, the sun was slowly hiding behind the horizon, the wind was warm and gentle, the air smelled of flowers and trees, birds hidden in the crowns singing and cleaning their fluffy wings. Martín was standing on the balcony in his room at the monastery. He was leaning on the balustrade, a small smile on his lips, a cup of tea in his hands. It was quiet and he wasn’t doing anything to disturb the peace, it was almost as if he was in heaven, at least that’s how he imagined heaven to be. He had his eyes closed, just resting his brain after the whole day of planning the escape from the Mint with Sergio. The last couple of days were intense, filled with work and brainstorms, but Martín adored the evenings on his balcony the most. He would always find peace here, it was his sacred place where even Sergio had no right to come into.

He was doing pretty well, he wasn’t crying at nights, he was smiling and focused on the job – he felt alright. His phone was still turned off, he stopped checking it the first night he came and it was the best decision he could possibly make. He wasn’t over his feelings, neither the whole situation with Andrés, but he was healing, dealing with it at his own time. Everything would be peaceful and slow, but then something fell on the floor and made Martín turn around. 

Suddenly there was millions upon millions of thoughts dancing in his head, he felt out of breath and his knees turned to jelly “What are you doing here?” he said quietly, putting away his cup and crossing his arms on his chest. Andrés stood in the middle of the room, a piece of paper in his hand. He looked lost 

“I have to talk to you”

“I don’t really feel like talking, you know?” Martín said calmly, observing Andrés’ face and looking for a sign of blinding anger but there was none 

“I know” he said quietly, not looking at his friend “At least… let me talk. Just listen”

“Alright” Martín nodded, going out on the balcony again and waiting for Andrés to join him

“I don’t know where to start, but… I know” he looked at Palermo, chewing at his lower lip. Martín turned his head to him, listening “I know what you did with Tatiana, I know the whole truth” his voice trembled a little “It was… It’s… The bravest thing someone did for me… And I’m going to make sure she is punished for it. Badly” he nodded, waiting for Martín’s reaction but he only sent him a soft smile “Right, and… Therefore… I know I did everything wrong. I know what kind of person I am and… I know what kind of person you are” he looked up and down again “Julia made me realize that everything that happened recently… it was…” Andrés stopped, rubbing his face. It was so hard and he was already exhausted “I would get mad at you for stupid stuff and I thought it’s because you’re being a brat but… it’s not that” he shook his head “And I am…” he bit his lip again, visibly fighting with himself “I’m sorry”

Martín gasped loudly, his calmness shaking a little. This wasn’t something he expected and he let it get to him “Oh” was all he managed to whisper 

“I’m sorry for everything… I’m sorry for every moment you felt like nothing because of me”

There were tears in Martín’s eyes and he knew that he will soon crumble and fall apart if he won’t try to control himself, so he cleared his throat and forced himself to look at Andrés 

“I regret hitting you and throwing you at the wall when we had that fight recently” Berlín sighed like it was awfully hard for him to speak out those words “And for telling you all of those stupid things I didn’t even mean, just like you said”

“Okay” Martín swallowed, feeling his lower lip tremble. He felt like he was about to completely fall apart and Andrés seemed like the only person able to put him back into whole 

Andrés nodded awkwardly like he wasn’t sure what should come next “There’s also… one more thing”

“I’m listening” 

“So…” their gazes locked and Martín felt weak immediately “You have… You always have been at my side… and… You’re the person who… who puts up with me… and I have always seen feelings as something… as a burden…” Palermo’s heart stopped beating for a second before starting to race. _It couldn’t be… It wasn’t possible that Andrés meant that…_ “But I realized, with help, that… This is exactly what makes you strong… and I realized that… you mean so much more to me than I thought you did”

Martín was shaking all over now, his throat tight, his eyes filled with tears that were close to falling

“Have I said too much?” Palermo shook his head “I still don’t completely understand it… Well, I don’t think I do at all… And you’ll probably think it’s strange… But… I'm in love with you”

The whole world stopped in this exact moment. Martín parted his lips, allowing a shudder breath to escape and come right back, loud and desperate. He never even dreamed this day would come, it was always something he wanted but knew he couldn’t have and now… “Is this another game to hurt me?” he asked, feeling a tear going down his cheek 

Andrés shook his head “No! No, Martín… I… I don’t know what to do, because I’ve never… Suddenly there’s explanation for everything and it’s this one simple word… and it turns out everything falls into place because of that” he took a sharp breath “I’m in love with you” he nodded “And I need you to still love me, even after what I’ve done”

Martín wiped his face already wet from tears and sniffed, shaking his head. He turned around and rubbed his face before he looked at Andrés again 

“Please say something” Andrés was a ball of stress and anxiety at this point which itself was bizarre 

“I don’t know what to say” Martín bit his lip, suddenly awfully aware of the state of his own heart 

“You… you love me back, right? You… I know you do… Why aren’t you… I don’t get it”

“I can’t, Andrés” he whispered and his heart clenched when he saw Berlín’s face “I’m sorry, I can’t do this now…” he held his hand and squeezed it “I love you with all my heart, you know it very well… But…” he couldn’t stop a tiny sob “I need some time”

“Why?”

“Because ‘I’m sorry’ is not enough, Andrés” Martín shook his head and his heart broke when he spotted a tear falling from Andrés’ eye “Because you destroyed everything we had with couple of words”

“They weren’t true” Berlín whispered

“It doesn’t matter. You said them and… I need time. I have to let that happen and I know I have to change as well, not only you. It all has to heal, Andrés, I just… I need to trust you again, I need to feel safe enough to love you” he sniffed “And I need to do that on my own terms”

Andrés leaned forward in an attempt to kiss him, but Martín stopped him “It’s not a good idea” he shook his head “Besides… you didn’t even ask me. That’s what I’m talking about”

“I’m sorry” Andrés moved away, his lower lip almost bleeding from biting it so much 

“It’s alright. See… that’s why I need us to start slow. I want some time… but it doesn’t mean I don’t want you around, just the opposite. It doesn’t mean I don’t want you to be kind and… that I don’t want to spend time together… Just… let’s go slow. You have to learn a lot and if we want it to work then… We will go as partners, equal partners… not a master and a slave. Okay?” he was met with silence so he got nervous “Andrés?”

“It hurts” Andrés’ lower lip was trembling “Like I have… a hole in my chest…”

“Why do you feel like it?” Martín asked softly, ready to comfort him 

“I don’t even know” he sniffed “I guess I expected… something else and now…”

“I still love you, stupid” Palermo’s hand found Andrés’ “You’re not being rejected” he sent him a warm smile “I want you to know that. I’m not rejecting you” he noticed how sad Andrés actually was so he pulled him for a hug, closing his eyes when his nostrils filled up with the scent he knew so well “Your heart is safe with me... But mine isn't safe with you just yet” 

“This is scary…”

“I know” Martín smiled “But that’s why we’re doing this together” they were hugging for quite some time until Andrés let go and asked in a whisper

“How are you so…” he shook his head “I don’t know, put together?”

“I’m not” Palermo was still smiling “I’m a mess and the moment you appeared in my room, I was done” he caressed Andrés’ hair “I hope it wasn’t the last time I heard those words, hm?”

“Wh… oh. No” Berlín laced his fingers with Martín’s 

“I’m glad then” they smiled at each other “I think we have a new 14 days challenge”

“How would you name it?”

“How to be in a relationship” Martín chuckled, observing Andrés’ face “I missed you”

Andrés just looked at him, clearly looking for the right emotion in himself. Martín had time. They both did “I missed you too. I know I did, because it hurt like hell and I couldn’t sleep”

“You were at Julia’s?”

“I didn’t know what to do” Andrés shrugged “If not for her, I… wouldn’t be here today”

Martín ran his fingers through Andrés’ hair, watching it shift with fascination “Can you promise me something?”

“Yes” there was no hesitation in Berlín’s voice

“Promise me you will think twice before reacting to some situations, especially the nasty ones. Hm? Because I want to trust you again but you can never raise a hand on me”

“Okay” Andrés nodded with his gaze on Martín’s lips. It was very obvious he wanted to kiss him so Martín decided not to torture him and make one and only exception, only today. He leaned forward and placed a very gentle kiss on Berlín’s lips, caressing his cheek 

“You have to be careful” his whisper almost disappeared in another kiss “Because my mind and my body don’t really agree on some things…” the third kiss was deeper, more urgent and Martín already felt himself losing control. Andrés on the other hand acted exactly like he should have, and he held Martín gently, smiling at him 

“I know that” he caressed his cheek and pressed a kiss there “I got you”

Martín looked him in the eyes and for the first time he found there a reflection of his own feelings. His heart skipped a beat and he felt so in love it made him dizzy “Never let me go” he whispered

“No” Andrés shook his head, embracing him tightly “Never”

They didn’t really talk much later on, they were just standing on the balcony in a tight embrace, enjoying each other’s company and nature. When it got really late and cold, Andrés kissed the top of Martín’s head and gently led him inside. It was this awkward moment when usually they would already be on the bed, kissing and undressing but now it was not an option 

“I don’t know what to do” Andrés spoke first and they both let out a nervous laugh

“Me neither” Martín blushed “I guess I’ll… see you at breakfast?”

“I guess” they smiled at each other and Martín walked Andrés to the door

“It feels like a stupid romantic movie set in XVIII century” Palermo joked, disheveling his hair

“Right” Andrés laughed, shaking his head “Goodnight, Martín”

Sergio and Andrés were busy with discussing Martín’s plans for escaping the Mint the next morning, while having their usual cup of coffee. Martín walked into the kitchen already dressed but with his hair still a mess and smiled widely when he spotted Berlín “Good morning”

“Morning, Martín” Sergio smiled at him 

“How did you sleep?” Andrés asked, turning to look at him and Martín’s heart fluttered 

“Very good, thank you” he nodded, checking the calendar on the wall “Andrés, Retroxil day”

“Right” a sight escaped Andrés’ mouth “I totally forgot when you were away”

“Of course you did” Martín rolled his eyes, making himself a latte and thinking of some breakfast. His wrist was completely healed at this point and his back didn’t hurt anymore but he constantly had to remind himself that nothing was okay just yet and they still have a lot to talk through. It wasn’t just a fluffy love story from now on, there was a huge emotional baggage and Martín knew they had to go through it in order to fix whatever was between them. It would be so easy to just drown in Andrés’ kisses but they couldn’t just solve everything with intimacy, they needed to talk about it and Martín wasn’t sure either of them was ready. He also knew his trust wasn’t as before, it needed to be rebuilt as well as his self-confidence but he was sure it would eventually happen. For now they needed to take things slow without forgetting their plan for the heist. 

“Martín, I was thinking…” Sergio said, playing with his empty cup “We could invite Julia and her family over for some time, don’t you think?”

“She and Felipe have jobs, I’m not sure they would come” Palermo frowned 

“They could take a week off, we can even like… gift them some money if that’s needed” 

“Hm” suddenly there was a smirk on Martín’s face “Just admit you like her”

“She’s married!” Sergio blushed 

“You don’t seem to mind” Martín giggled and ruffled Sergio’s hair “I’m joking, I’ll ask her”

“Martín, do you have some time to spare?” Andrés asked, standing up to put the empty cups to the dishwasher. Martín nodded slowly “Good. I need to talk to you”

“I… have stuff to do” Sergio immediately got the hint and disappeared in a split second, leaving them alone. It was the first time they were together in this room after the argument when Andrés shot him and Martín winced at this unpleasant memory and absently touched his arm where the ugly scar was. Andrés seemed to notice that because he looked away, being weirdly silent

“So?” Martín asked softly, waiting for him to speak up

“I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday…” Andrés sighed 

“What exactly?”

“You know… Everything” he cleared his throat

“You know what, I was also thinking” Martín interrupted him, holding his cup and staring at the coffee inside “I got really… overwhelmed yesterday… And I wasn’t thinking totally clearly…” he bit his lip “But then I kinda realized something that I think you should know”

Andrés just nodded so Martín continued “I’m scared of you” he said, breathing in sharply and Andrés’ head snapped upright 

“You?”

“Yes. It was hard to realize and I was surprised myself but… Andrés, you hit me” he shook his head “I get the awful words, I know you and I know what kind of person you are… But you took it too far”

“I don’t know why I did that”

“I do. You were losing control over me and you snapped” he bit his lip “The same with shooting me which I will never forget”

“That won’t happen again”

“How can I know? How can you?” Martín looked at him intently “How can I be sure you won’t snap again?”

“I don’t know” Berlín’s face winced in sadness for a split second 

“I want you to realize it. You pointed a gun at me” he stated “Your hand could shake and you could hit my lung, my neck. I could die there. You hit me, it wasn’t… I wasn’t like in a tragic state, but… It should never happen” Martín shook his head, biting his lip to the point of bleeding “Therefore… I’m scared. I’m scared that… The moment something happens between us, you’re going to snap”

“No” Andrés denied “I will not”

“I need to trust you on this… and it’s too soon for that” Palermo put away his cup “That’s why…”

“What is it?” Andrés picked up the little hesitation in Martín’s voice

“I need time to put myself together in a new way. I don’t ever want to be the Martín who chased you and didn’t care how hurt he got on the way”

“What does it mean?”

“It means we’re not together yet” Martín’s voice sounded confident “And I will need you to step back and just let me decide whether we’re going further or not… I know” he said, seeing Andrés’ lips pressing into a thin line “I know you need to be in control, I know that. You can be, just… In a good way”

“I don’t understand”

“Me neither to be honest” Martín shrugged with a small smile “I guess we just keep going, we learn… I also don’t know how to be in a relationship so I guess we’re both on the same level here”

“My wild guess is Sergio won’t be a big help here” Andrés joked and they both laughed 

“True” Martín sent him a wide smile and they went silent. Suddenly Andrés clicked his tongue and shook his head

“I forgot I had something very important to do” he stood up and ruffled Martín’s hair as he started to leave the kitchen 

“What is it?”

“Not yo…” he bit his tongue “Tatiana”

“What about her?”

“She’s meeting me”

“What? When? Where?” Martín rose to his feet, kind of anxious 

“I invited her over and said we need to talk about something” Andrés shrugged, walking already, Martín following him

“I’m going with you”

“No”

“Yes, I am” he ignored Berlín completely, following and trying to keep up the pace

“Why do you want to be there? I got this”

“And that’s what I’m scared of… How did she even agree?”

“I told her I want to meet her to ask why she left me and so on. I lied basically”

“She believed you?”

“Martín, she kept you silent for weeks” he looked at his friend “Believe me, she has no idea that I know”

“And if she does?”

“She thinks I’m coming alone and you’re in Argentina” Andrés said, going down the stairs “She should be here any minute. Can I ask you for staying covered? I don’t know, stand behind a wall or whatever so she doesn’t see you. She won’t talk if she knows you’re there”

“Alright. You’re meeting her in the garden?”

“Yes” 

“Okay then, I’ll think of some hideout” Martín promised, getting slightly nervous. He was anxious about this confrontation and he was even more anxious about what Berlín could do to her. Andrés pointed a pillar and Martín tucked himself behind it, hidden and silent. He heard Berlín greeting someone and proposing to sit at the table under the trees. Martín decided it was safe enough to peek. Tatiana was wearing a beautiful green dress and sunglasses and she looked even prettier than usual. Martín had a ridiculous thought that maybe Andrés would give him up and choose to be with her, but he shook his head, trying to push it away. It wouldn’t happen. 

“It’s been some time, my dear, and I still don’t know why you left me… Your letter was… So rushed” Andrés spoke, acting all professional 

“Martín caught me in the basement, he was holding a gun… And he said that he will give me 5 million euros if I disappear and if not, he will kill me. He made me write this letter and… Well, I had to leave” she sounded so sincere Martín wanted to puke. He heard a very scary sound of a gun being pulled and he peeked again. Andrés was holding the gun at Tatiana’s face, his voice ice-cold as he spoke 

“You’re such a liar, Tatiana. I know what happened” the gun clicked and Martín’s heart skipped a beat. He heard Tatiana take a sharp breath and he decided not to let anything bad happen. He left his hideout and said out loud 

“Andrés put the gun down!”

“Martín…” Tatiana was shocked and visibly disturbed but Palermo couldn’t care less. He was slowly stepping closer and closer towards Andrés, not taking his eyes off of the gun

“She deserves to die for what she’s done!”

“Andrés” Martín tried to be calm “Put the gun down. Please”

“She will pay” Berlín was angry. _Furious_. Martín tried not to think about the last time he saw him with a gun 

“I don’t want you to do this. Please, put it down” he was close enough to touch Andrés now “Do it for me”

“No” the gun cocked again, signalizing it was loaded and ready. Tatiana was breathing heavily, her chest rapidly moving, her eyes filled with fear. 

“You’re scaring me” Martín whispered and it worked like a switch. Andrés’ hand shook and he almost dropped the gun but Palermo was faster and he managed to take it, take out the magazine and put away both of those “It’s alright” he caressed Andrés’ arm and reached his hand to Tatiana “I think you should leave”

She grabbed his hand and just let Martín walk her towards the gate. She was shaking and suddenly she sobbed quietly, trying to hide it desperately 

“Hey” Palermo stopped, looking at her “You’re okay?”

“Why… why are you doing this? I… I ruined things for you” she shook her head, her mascara smudging a little 

“It’s in the past already” Martín shrugged and he was surprised how he actually didn’t care anymore “I like you, Tatiana, apart from the moment when you almost shot me but… yeah”

“You’re just crazy, you always have been, I knew from the moment Andrés introduced me to you” she smiled through tears 

_Rome, last year_

_“Martín, my dear” Andrés almost danced into the room, dressed in a very elegant suit “We’re going for dinner tonight”_

_Martín raised his head from a book he was reading “We?”_

_“You and I… I have someone to introduce to you”_

_“Oh” Martín’s heart dropped. _Not again_ … “Someone?”_

_“Yes, a very pretty, gorgeous someone”_

_“Now I know when you’ve been these past few nights” he sighed, uninterested, looking back at the book_

_“No, listen!” Andrés took it away from him to make Martín look at him “She’s amazing, you’ll love her… I think I’m going to take her with me”_

_“What, where?”_

_“I don’t know” Andrés shrugged “Greece?”_

_“I’m not going” Martín stood up from his chair and went to take back the book to place it on a shelf, checking if it didn’t get any damage_

_“Of course you are, stupid” Andrés squeezed his arm with a wide smile_

_‘of course I am’ Martín thought, turning to face his friend “What’s her name?”_

_“Tatiana”_

_“Okay” he opened the wardrobe to find something nice to wear. Andrés would kill him if he wouldn’t change_

_“She’s perfect, I’ve never met a woman that perfect before. She’s exquisite”_

_Martín rolled his eyes and murmured under his breath “Like the previous four were”_

_“What?”_

_“Nothing”_

_She was indeed beautiful, Martín was gay but he could admire woman’s beauty and Tatiana was indeed a work of art “My love, this is my dear friend Martín Berrote, Martín, this is Tatiana” Andrés introduced them, smiling widely. Martín forced himself to smile as he kissed her hand, making her giggle_

_“Nice to meet you” he said mechanically. He knew the drill, he’s been through four already_

_“Andrés told me SO much about you, I heard you’re an engineer?” she immediately started talking, not caring about any greetings_

_“Is that so? Yes, I am indeed” this was different. For the first time she took actual interest in him, that never happened before_

_“That’s interesting, so for example you are able to explain to me the way a specific alarm works and turn it off, hm?”_

_“Uhm… For example, yes… Why?”_

_“Tatiana here is also a thief” Andrés was smiling, his hand on her waist “We’re planning a little something”_

_“Without me?” Martín asked, hiding his disappointment_

_“Only for this time” his friend answered, already focusing on the food they were about to choose with Tatiana. Martín rolled his eyes, already hating her with his whole heart_

_“You know, you should consider practicing your acting skills” Tatiana appeared out of nowhere in a nightgown, which didn’t really hide a lot. Not that Martín was interested anyway_

_“Why?” he inhaled the smoke from the cigarette, his feet dangling from the edge of the rooftop_

_“Because it’s totally obvious that you like him more than you should” she reached her hand and Martín handed her the cigarette, shrugging_

_“What’s it with you?”_

_“Nothing, I’m just curious” she let out some smoke through her nose and gave back the cig “For how long?”_

_“What is it, some high school gossip party?” Martín scoffed_

_“Come on” Tatiana nudged him, almost making her boob fall out of her gown_

_“Since we met perhaps” he gave in, rolling his eyes. He didn’t really care to be honest_

_“Wow, so what, a decade?” when he didn’t answer she raised her brow “Impressive”_

_“What do you want, Tatiana?” Martín was irritated already. He came here to find peace and some silence instead of moans and gasps “Hm? Andrés is probably ready for another go”_

_“Andrés is asleep and I’m bored” she sighed “There’s a piano in the living room and I’m itching to play”_

_“You play?” Martín got interested “I do too, just a little”_

_“Show me?” she already stood up “Come on, we’ll be quiet”_

_“Fine” he decided there was nothing better to do anyway, so they both sneaked into the living room and sat at the piano_

_“Come on” Tatiana nodded at him with a gentle smile_

_“It’s been… a long time”_

_“It’s like riding a bike, you can’t forget that” she played couple of notes “Come on, give me something good”_

_“Alright” Martín cleared his throat and placed his fingers on the keyboard. He closed his eyes, reminding himself the melody and started playing, uncertainly at the beginning but as the song proceeded, there was more and more confidence in his moves. When he finished, Tatiana silently clapped and sent him a warm, wide smile_

_“That was beautiful” she moved a little “My turn” she started playing and Martín’s jaw dropped to the floor. She was amazing and the piece she chose was really difficult, not for anybody to perform. He was so shocked he didn’t even notice Andrés who stood in the door, smiling softly and watching them both._

_“Wow…” Martín whispered as the last note disappeared in the silent room “You’re… incredible”_

_“I’ve been playing since I was three, my parents wanted a big music career for me” she rolled her eyes “It’s more practice than talent but… thank you” Tatiana leaned her head on his arm for a split second in a non-verbal sign of affection “Maybe we try something together?”_

_“Like what?”_

_“Do you know ‘Sott’er Celo De Roma’ by Dean Martín?”_

_“Actually, I do” Martín smiled confidently. He loved old Italian music “I even know the lyrics”_

_“Perfect, then you’ll sing with me” Tatiana grinned and started playing, allowing Martín to add his own two hands. They both began singing together and soon they forgot it was the middle of the night, they were loud, laughing and playing and Martín felt like he could actually like Tatiana. She was normal, nice. And she wasn’t jealous, at least that’s what it looked like for now. As they finished the song, they heard clapping and their heads snapped up to notice Andrés who was smiling softly_

_“Eccellente” he approached then and kissed Tatiana’s head, placing his hands on her arms “You should do this more often, hm?”_

_“Maybe we should” she admitted and squeaked quietly when Andrés lifted her and kissed her lips_

_“Would you go to bed, my dear? I’m going to join you in a second”_

_“Of course, tesoro” she nodded, kissing his cheek and then Martín’s before almost running to the bedroom, her bare feet clapping on the wooden floor. It was dark but Martín could still see clearly the silhouette of Andrés as he sat next to him and ruffled his hair, making him almost melt_

_“You get along well”_

_“She’s alright” Martín shrugged_

_“Bien. I wouldn’t want you two to fight all the time”_

_“I’m not going with you anywhere”_

_“What are you talking about?”_

_“Well, you heard me. I’m going home”_

_“Why?” Andrés seemed almost devastated_

_“I’m not playing the third wheel again”_

_“Have you ever?”_

_“Every time” he rolled his eyes “Listen, have some time alone with her, get to know her and take her home, we’ll have plenty of time together” Martín shrugged_

_“Well” Andrés put his hand on his shoulder and the touch was almost painful for Martín to stand. Too close, too dark “I won’t stop you”_

_“I know”_

_“The song you played… It’s been a while since I heard you play”_

_“Yeah, well… I don’t know” he touched the keyboard and froze when he felt Andrés’ hand in the same place, quickly taking it away “Anyway, I’m going to bed”_

_“You know, Martín…” Andrés followed him couple steps and the moonlight peeking from the window lightened up his face. He looked beautiful and Martín couldn’t stop a gasp “Sometimes I’m in despair when I look at you”_

_“Why so?”_

_“Many reasons” he had a puzzled look on his face as he was staring at Martín for some time “You should play more”_

“I was sad when you left, I started liking you a lot” she continued, sending him a shy smile “And I am so sorry for being a bitch to you, like…”

“Why did you do this?” Martín looked at her “Just for the money?”

“No” she admitted “I saw what was happening between you two”

“Oh” he blushed

“Yeah… Actually, I started suspecting something in Rome but… I ignored it, I thought maybe he was just so attached to you… But now I know it was more than that”

“Tatiana, we… We’re not even together” Martín bit his lip, being very surprised

“Yes, okay, but… They way he looked at you and talked about you…” Tatiana sighed and crossed her arms “It was something more, you know what I mean?”

“Wow” he couldn’t even process that “I can’t believe what you just said…”

“You didn’t know?”

“No” Martín laughed “And I don’t think he knew either”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so proud right now 🥺❤️ Also, I can announce that there IS going to be a sequel to this story as I finally figured out what to do so it's not repetitive neither boring, so let's drink to that! haha


	21. You'll never walk alone, I'm yours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next one are just pure fluff, stinking adorable and sweeter than sugar. Well, what can I say, I had to push it into the story. Dedication today goes to all of my fellow polish readers, _kocham_
> 
> Enjoy <3

“For a second I thought you were gonna do this” Martín bit his lip, looking up at Andrés who sat in front of him, gently rocking the hammock they were seated on 

“I would… If you didn’t stop me, I would”

“She didn’t deserve to die, Andrés”

“I know” he whispered, hesitantly lacing his fingers with Martín’s “I just got… so angry”

“Just leave it. Look, I think it ended up pretty well” he smiled at Berlín “Don’t you think?”

“Right” Andrés sighed and smiled back “You really asked her to come by sometime?”

“Yes, Mr. Fonollosa, I did” Martín smirked, looking him straight into the eyes “Objections?”

“None” he giggled, linking their foreheads “If you want that, then it’s alright”

“She will make a good friend, I think” Martín took a deep breath, allowing Andrés’ smell to get into his entire lungs and make him dizzy “I’m proud of you”

“Because I put the gun away?”

“Yes”

“You asked me to” Andrés brought his hand onto Martín’s cheek and placed it there 

“And I already trust you more” he smiled at the touch and leaned into it. He felt Andrés shifting and laying down, pulling Martín with him so he was placed on his chest

“Are you comfortable?”

“Mmm” 

Andrés laughed softly and started massaging his scalp, having his eyes closed, just resting “I could get used to it”

“I’m telling you, fuck the plan… Let’s leave”

“I can’t leave, Martín, this is very important for Sergio and besides… That much money? Come on”

“We’ll buy an island”

“An island?”

“Mm. And we will travel the whole world, visit everywhere…”

“And then?” Andrés pressed his lips to Martín’s head 

“Then we will do my plan”

“And then?”

“And then… Then we will stay on our island… we will… have a small vineyard… and then” Martín stopped suddenly “Then we will be happy”

“And if one of us dies in the Mint?”

“I believe the other one will follow. We die together or not at all” Palermo snuggled closer to Andrés’ body, listening to the beat of his heart “Don’t you think?”

“I’m getting you out alive, Martín Berrote”

“Well, it works both ways, Andrés de Fonollosa”

“And then we melt gold”

“Yes. Then we melt gold”

“So you… Okay, yes… I hear you… Yes, alright, I’ll come by and pick you then. Perfect. Yes, alright, Julia” Sergio put his phone away “They’re coming on Sunday morning”

“Perfect” Martín sent him a wide smile, sitting next to Andrés at the piano in the living room area. It’s been couple of days since they reunited and it was all going peacefully “I don’t get why she didn’t want me to pick her up”

“Because you’re an awful car driver, Martín” Andrés snorted and hissed when Martín nudged him “What? It’s true!”

“Agreed” Sergio chuckled, putting the phone away and looking at the pair with tenderness. They looked so happy and in love, also in a very obvious need of some alone time judging by the look Andrés was sending Martín so Sergio just quickly excused himself to do some work at the office

“He’s so awkward” Martín giggled, leaning towards Berlín to nuzzle their noses 

“He tries his best” Andrés whispered, taking Martín’s face in his hands “No?”

“I guess” they gently linked their lips in a sweet, delicate kiss, slow and tender and yet so meaningful, making Martín gasp. They haven’t kissed since Andrés came back and he had no idea how much he needed it till this exact moment 

“Play something for me?” Berlín put his head on Martín’s arm, closing his eyes. Martín did.

He was playing very gently, treating the notes as if they were beautiful butterflies, so easy to scare. It felt like his soul was dancing and he knew Andrés felt that too because he could feel him completely relax, just listening and humming under his breath. The piece wasn’t complicated, but it didn’t have to be. Martín could play _Mary had a little lamb_ and Berlín would look at him with the same adoration in his eyes.

“I love you” he whispered when Martín finished and he couldn’t not smile hearing his surprised gasp. He was still so easy to tip off

Palermo turned his head to look at him and got lost in his eyes for a good moment “I love you too”

“Can I kiss you again?” Andrés sat upright and when Martín nodded, he pulled him closer and started kissing him deeply, with affection and passion, and when Palermo moaned softly, his head started spinning and his body went boneless. He placed a hand on Martín’s nape to keep him in position and also as an excuse to touch him more. 

“Wait” Martín pulled out, not able to catch a breath, beautiful blush on his cheeks “I can’t control myself, remember”

“I do” Andrés kissed him again and this time he decided to place couple of kisses on his neck as well

“An- _ahhh_ -Andrés…” 

“I’m listening” he answered, busy with covering Martín’s entire face with butterfly kisses 

“You know I’m… very into you… but please, don’t break my rule just yet…”

“I’m sorry” he knew they should have stopped at this point because Martín was already flushed and aroused, his hands already wandering, but damn, he just couldn’t let him go. Their lips joined again and the kiss was desperate, urgent, burning more than fire could ever. Andrés’ fingers slipped under Martín’s shirt, touching, exploring, rubbing and oh, there it was, another beautiful moan coming from Martín. Berlín’s brain just shut off and the only thought that was left was the information where was the nearest bed they could lay on.

“Please” Martín had his lips parted, head tilted back and he looked so sexy, Andrés just pulled him onto his lap to have him even closer. The position allowed them to gently grind against each other and if there was any control left before, it was gone right in this moment. The kisses turned into bites and licks, the shirts slowly being unbuttoned, hair ruffled into a mess. Andrés was ready to take Martín to bed and give him the time of his life but they forgot they weren’t alone in the monastery

“How could I forg… oh _Dios mio_!” Sergio walked in on them and immediately covered his eyes, ruining the moment completely and leaving both of them even more ashamed than he was 

“Jesus, Sergio” Andrés growled with irritation, standing up and buttoning his shirt back 

“I’m sorry” his brother was so uncomfortable that Andrés almost pitied him “I’m so sorry, I just thought you don’t… so I just… _Perdón_ ” he took the book he had left earlier and escaped from the room, red on the face. Andrés sighed, running his fingers through his hair and turning back to look at his beautiful companion 

“Typical. Little brothers” he joked, rolling his eyes. Martín giggled and stood up from the piano, closing it first

“It was for the better to be honest…” he embraced Andrés and looked him in the eyes “Because you, mister, forgot yourself”

“How could I not, _cariño_?” Berlín brought a finger to Martín’s face and touched his lips, red and swollen from kissing “You touch me and my brain goes poof” 

Palermo blushed and looked away, being just a tiny bit timid about the compliment “I love it when you call me like that”

“What? _Cariño_?”

“Mhm” Martín nodded with a smile 

“Soon I will have to call you by your chosen name and so will you”

“ _Berlín_ ” Martín let it linger on his tongue, sweet and tingling “I like that”

“As far as I know you also like what happened in Berlín”

“I had one of my bravery days” Martín giggled, placing his head on Andrés’ chest 

_Berlín, 2017_

_“So with this development we would be basically able to use this little tool to help open the lock even if we’re not totally sure what its mechanics are. See, there are varieties of those available but I think I will be able to construct a much simpler one hence we do need it just to open this lock, which honestly, shouldn’t be that complicated and it’s all about the mechatronics which I’m good at. This is all about the system that just needs to be disarmed and that is it, boom, we’re in”_

_“Martín, Martín, Martín” Andrés laughed softly, pulling his friend close to wrap his hand around his waist “I don’t follow”_

_“Oh. Where did you get lost, I will gladly…”_

_“Hey” he chuckled, seeing how silent Martín went when he noticed how close they suddenly were “It’s alright as long as you know what you’re doing, which I know you do”_

_“Right” Martín smiled, pretty surprised with a sudden wave of affection. It’s been a moment since Andrés had a woman and it was very strange indeed, although he wasn’t going to complain “Well, in conclusion, I know what I’m doing”_

_“Yes” Andrés kept his hand on his friend’s waist, pulling him further inside the gallery. His touch was burning and Martín was afraid he would get a heart attack. They were looking around, Andrés planning what was worth taking and what definitely wasn’t and Martín figuring out the security system and building plans._

_“We need to know which cameras are still and which move” he whispered, discreetly observing the placement of the devices_

_“Don’t be surprised, just play along” Andrés whispered back and he turned Martín so they were facing each other, and before Martín had time to faint, Andrés leaned and placed a very discreet kiss on his cheek “Quickly, look around”_

_“The… The one it the corner is still…” Martín managed to whisper, overwhelmed by the kisses that made their way from his cheek, through the jaw and onto his neck. He immediately got braver and threw his arms on his friend’s neck to make it look even more realistic_

_“Mmm, now the one at the entrance” Andrés moved Martín’s head so he was looking right there and continued his caresses_

_“That one follows… and then the one in the middle as well…”_

_“And the right one, near the stairs?”_

_Martín needed to change his position so he nuzzled Andrés’ face with his nose, placed a shy kiss on his cheek and then the corner of the lips, following the movements of the camera or, to be exact, the lack of them_

_“Still”_

_“Alright” Andrés kept him close “Wait, I want the guard to see”_

_“I don’t mind” Martín whispered and bit his lip, having a very risky idea in his head “I think we should kiss, just to really be taken as some needy couple”_

_“Just don’t moan” Andrés joked and Martín quickly linked their lips, closing his eyes. His heart was fluttering and he felt his hands shake from the excitement. Andrés was observing the people and noticed how the guard spots them and quickly turns around, obviously embarrassed. Martín was already very into the kiss and to be honest, Andrés couldn’t stop admiring him. His lips were soft and gentle and even if he was very passionate, he was also clearly holding himself back. Andrés knew about his attraction, it wasn’t anything new, and he liked to tease from time to time, a subtle touch, being a little bit too close, a dirty joke to make Martín blush like a little girl “Alright, Martín” he broke the kiss finally, smirking as he saw how flushed his friend was “Let’s go” he obviously kept his hand on his waist as they started walking again, admiring the paintings. Well, Martín was admiring him, but Andrés just didn’t pay any attention to it, knowing his behavior already. This was their second kiss ever, for the entire 8 years as they knew each other it happened only twice, first time shortly after they met and this was the second time. It was fascinating how Martín would adore him for so long. He would often go and spend the night with some guy, maybe even couple night but he always, always came back to Andrés. This was the kind of devotion Andrés had never experienced before and it was his main goal to keep Martín close, as close as possible without creating an illusion that he had a chance with him._

_When they were in their hotel later in the evening, it was obvious Martín was torn. They were watching some old, German movie but Martín’s thoughts were far away from it, he looked nervous and unsure and Andrés only waited for when he snaps._

_“What did you think about the kiss?” he finally dared to ask as the movie rolled its credits_

_“A kiss is a kiss, it provided distraction so you could examine the cameras” Andrés shrugged, obviously playing with him_

_“No, but…” he moved closer to Andrés “Was it good?”_

_“Why are you asking?”_

_“Well” Martín pulled himself up so their faces were inches from each other “Because if it was good then… maybe we could do it again”_

_“I like women”_

_“And? Kissing is kissing and you’re single” Martín touched his face and Andrés laughed softly, shaking his head_

_“You should get yourself someone”_

_“Nah” Martín’s nose wrinkled in a funny way “I don’t want to”_

_“Mm” a soft hum escaped Andrés’ lips as he watched Martín’s face “You tried that so many times before, Martín”_

_“Yeah, well… You started this today” he straddled Andrés’ lap, surprising them both “So now you should deal with the consequences, eh?”_

_“How about we have some wine first, mm?”_

_“No” Martín shook his head, biting his lip with a smirk “How about we have some kissing first?”_

_“Martín” Andrés laughed but the sound was a bit choked, like he started realizing their situation_

_“Don’t ‘Martín’ me, too late for that, Fonollosa” he leaned and placed a gentle kiss on Andrés’ lips “It ain’t so bad, hm?” he kissed him again, deeper this time “Come on, Andrés, I know you can sweep me off of my feet”_

_“You will regret this, Berrote” Andrés warned him, his fingers digging into his friend’s sides_

_“Never” Martín shook his head “Come on now, show me what you got”_

_And just like that he was on his back in a split second, Andrés licking into his mouth with such intensity Martín felt weak. He couldn’t believe it was truly happening, he didn’t know what to think of it but then it didn’t even matter because Andrés was biting his neck and Martín was ready to undress and give himself to him_

_“Ahora? Hm? Now what?” Andrés was panting heavily, his eyes focused on Martín_

_“Now I can undress us both and…”_

_“No” there was a shake of his head and suddenly Martín was lacking the warm body on him_

_“What? Why?” he pulled himself up to look at Andrés “You care about your sexuality so much you can’t sleep with me?”_

_“It’s not about me, Martín”_

_“Oh yeah?” he was pretty angry “Then do it. Fuck me”_

_“No”_

_“Why not?”_

_“Because, my dear Martín…” Andrés sighed heavily like he was dealing with a disobedient baby “You’ll lose your mind”_

_“Bullshit” he murmured under his breath, but he didn’t try to argue more, deep down he knew Andrés was right_

_“So, can we have that wine now?”_

“It was the highlight of this trip” Andrés laughed, taking his hand “Would you like to go see a play with me tonight?”

“It’s such a nice weather, I’ve been thinking we could make use of that pool we have” Martín smiled softly, lacing their fingers together “Get some fresh air, you know? Spend some time together, only me and you because later on…”

“Right” Andrés nodded, pulling Martín closer and embracing him 

“Can you believe it’s going to start in less than a month?”

“I don’t really want to think about it” Berlín’s head rested on top of Martín’s “I just… Have better things to focus on now” they looked at each other and shared couple of sweet kisses, smiling and being all cute with each other. 

Martín was very serious about the pool and only when they were already in their swimsuit, ready to go in, he remembered one very important detail that made him stop immediately

“What’s wrong?” Andrés looked at him, already half way into the water

“The last time I went into the water… I almost drowned” Martín bit his lip, fear in his eyes 

“I got you” Berlín reached his hands towards him, standing steadily in the pool “Come on”

“Alright” Palermo swallowed harshly and very slowly stepped in, shaking all over. He loved water but the fear was stronger at this point

“Here” Andrés grabbed his hand and smiled when he clung to his chest, laying his head on his arm “You’re good, Martín. You’re safe”

“I know” Martín’s smile lit up his face and he gently let go of his friend “I wanna dive in”

“Go on” Andrés’ laughter was loud and beautiful as he watched Martín disappear under the surface and appear again in couple of seconds, water dripping down his body, his hair a wet mop on his head “You look like a wet rat”

“Excuse me?” Martín immediately swam towards Andrés, trying to pull him under and succeeding pretty fast. They were acting like kids but honestly neither of them cared, not after everything they’ve been through, not before everything that was about to come

At one point Andrés managed to grab Martín, press him to the edge of the pool and kiss him breathless, making sure they both had steady ground under their feet. They were sharing deep, open-mouthed kisses, Martín’s hands in Berlín’s soaking wet hair, Berlín’s on Martín’s hips. They got lost in each other and there was nothing that could disturb them now, this exact moment was the only thing that mattered. Well. Turned out, they were very unlucky that particular day

“ _Dios mio_ , are you for real?! In the _pool_?!” Sergio was clearly very disturbed, a book in his hand almost falling into the water. He was clearly about to get into his favorite place in the hammock and read and he for sure wasn’t expecting the pair to be having a very heated make-out session here.

“You have no shame, my brother” Andrés pulled away from irritated Martín and shook his head “It’s the second time in couple hours when you mess up the mood”

“In the pool, Andrés?” Sergio whined desperately, making Palermo giggle 

“It’s my pool after all” Andrés placed a wet kiss on Martín’s lips and laughed softly 

“Please, _hermanos, por favor_. We have bedrooms in this household”

“Well, it’s not enough if you want to spice things up” his brother joked, embracing Martín

“I’m already lost, you two are together or not?”

“It’s complicated” Palermo finally managed to say something, his flushed face adorable “But it doesn’t mean we can’t kiss in the pool”

“I’m not getting in there ever again” Sergio flicked his glasses, turned around and quickly walked towards the hammock, shaking his head and muttering something they couldn’t really hear 

“I guess the whole world is trying to tell us that we shouldn’t sleep together” Martín was crying laughing at this point 

“If you call Sergio ‘the whole’ world then fine” Andrés rolled his eyes

“You’re my whole world” their gazes locked and Berlín felt out of breath for some reason. That was so intimate his chest squeezed, but not painfully, not this time. This time he knew exactly what that meant and it didn’t bring him any pain

“What are you saying?” he whispered, nuzzling their noses together, totally overwhelmed 

“I’m saying that you’re my whole damn world” Martín smiled softly and when he noticed Berlín’s lack of words he whispered “Don’t have to say anything. Just kiss me, exactly how I like”

Andrés did. Andrés would do everything Martín asked for without having second thoughts even once. Maybe that’s how they ended up in the kitchen at midnight, in their silky robes, having popcorn and some fruits 

“Do you think my escape plan is good enough?” Martín asked uncertainly, biting a green apple and dangling his feet. He was sitting on the counter, Andrés next to him leaning on it

“I think it’s brilliant” he admitted, putting a bit of the popcorn in his mouth “Why are you asking?”

“Because I have a backup one if all hell breaks loose and I have to pull you out of there”

“Martín” Andrés straightened up, wiping his hands on a paper towel “It will not happen”

“You can’t know that” he looked at him with worry “Anything can happen”

“Don’t you trust Sergio?” Berlín took the apple from Martín, took a bite and gave it back 

“I do” Martín nodded, reaching his hand to touch his friend’s arm “But I trust my instincts more”

“Nothing bad will happen. Either we both die or both get out”

“I have a feeling you will try something stupid” he bit the fruit again and threw away the core before pulling Andrés closer, wrapping his legs around his hips 

“Like what?”

“Saving my ass and dying” Martín shrugged “I forbid you to so such thing, okay?”

“We both either die or escape. Together” Andrés held his face “I promise” 

“I have to tell you my backup escape plan and you will learn it all, by heart. Only you” Palermo was very serious

“I will” Berlín knew better than to argue about that. It was very important for them both to leave the Mint together, so he could learn that extra plan

“Promise”

“I promise”

“Alright” Martín nodded with a sigh

“Hey” Andrés pulled his chin up “Don’t get your pretty head busy with this now, eh? We have time”

“Sorry” Palermo whispered, breathing in deeply and chasing Andrés’ lips “I can’t stop thinking about it”

“Well, I can help you forget for couple of hours” Andrés smiled, meeting him halfway in a chaste kiss “I’m pretty positive Sergio won’t disturb us the third time”

“You never know, he might be looking for his toothbrush” Martín giggled, making his friend snort 

“You’re an asshole, Berrote” 

“I know” they calmed down and just hugged, enjoying each other’s presence “I would love to forget, I just don’t think we should go to bed just yet”

“You don’t want to?” Andrés placed a kiss behind Martín’s ear, making him shiver

“Of course I want to, stupid” Palermo’s hands landed on Andrés’ neck “But we were supposed to go slow”

“I can go slow and still satisfy you” 

“Andrés, please” Martín gasped and neither of them knew if that was ‘please, don’t’ or ‘please, do’. He was already breathing faster, his chest rapidly moving 

“I’m just asking you to reconsider… I’ll focus on you” Andrés pulled Martín’s lower lip and sucked it gently, causing Martín to moan softly 

“It doesn’t matter, we really… really shouldn’t”

“We’re already kissing”

“Mm… but if we have sex, I will lose my head for you and so on” Martín was kissing him desperately now, pulling Andrés’ hair and gasping loudly

“Is that bad?” Andrés undid Palermo’s robe, opening it up “I thought you already have”

“Shut up” their lips clashed in yet another heated kiss and when Berlín started going down with the kisses, onto his jaw and neck and collarbones, Martín completely lost it and forgot that he should be quiet and moaning at this time would only end up bad.

Well, it did. It had to

“For fuck’s sake, I have enough of you two already!” they rapidly let go of each other, Martín closing his robe and bursting into loud laughter seeing Sergio in his ridiculous blue pajama set, slippers and with a toothbrush in his mouth. Andrés only chuckled softly but soon he joined Martín, not able to hold back on his laugh hearing his friend “What’s so funny? Eh? What’s so damn funny?”

“The fucking… toothbrush…” Martín was wheezing, tears falling down his face. Andrés was almost out of breath, holding onto the counter so he wouldn’t fall “And… the… slippers…”

“What’s wrong with my toothbrush?” Sergio examined it which only made everything worse, and Berlín had to hold Martín so he wouldn’t land on his face on the floor. They needed good five minutes to calm down, catch a breath and wipe their faces from all the tears

“Sergio, you’re gonna be the death of me” Martín giggled, blinking rapidly to get rid of the tears “You’re fucking unbelievable”

“Me? I’m sorry, I want to get water like a normal human being and what do I hear when I walk out of my room? Freaking moans!”

“You should’ve had some in your room” Andrés smirked, kissing the top of Martín’s head “You brought it onto yourself”

“I won’t ever look into your eyes again” Sergio was blushing heavily 

“Didn’t like my nudity?” Martín joked, biting his lip

“I… Oh, fuck off, Berrote” Andrés’ brother just took the glass and left the kitchen, leaving them for the third time today 

“I can’t do this anymore” Palermo laughed, leaning his forehead on Andrés’ arm

“But in two days Julia is coming so we won’t have time…”

“Oh don’t you worry, love” Martín held his face gently “Nothing will stop me when I decide it’s time”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sergio's toothbrush had yet another cameo, I couldn't stop myself :P


	22. Bonnie and Clyde

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe we got here honestly... Don't mind me, I'm just bawling my eyes out *sniff* but I'm extremely delighted you guys liked my story <3 I love you all and let's enjoy the last chapter together!
> 
> I'm sorry for no upload yesterday - my laptop crushed and it was a mess. Also, I'm pleased to announce that in the next few days I'll be posting the sequel to this story so GET READYYYYY

Spain was beautiful this time of year and Julia couldn’t stop smiling as she waited with Luis in the terminal. Felipe couldn’t make it, he was a doctor and had 3 surgeries planned this week so there was no way he could have any days off, but he kissed Julia many times before he took them to the airport and promised to call them. To be completely honest, she just couldn’t wait to see Sergio and her brother and of course Andrés, being especially interested in their current love situation. Luis was very energized, he slept through the whole flight and now he was very excited to see uncle Martín. 

She spotted Sergio first, there was no way she wouldn’t see his glasses and the mop of dark hair “Sergio!” she called, grinning widely and picking up her suitcase. Sergio approached her and embraced her tightly, chuckling softly 

“Julia!” they kissed each other’s cheeks and then Sergio crouched in front of Luis and ruffled his hair “Hello, little man” 

“That’s Luis, my son” she squeezed Sergio’s arm “It’s so good to see you” 

“Yes, you too… How was the flight?” he already took her suitcase and gestured towards the exit 

“Perfectly fine, little one slept the whole time so” she nodded, carrying Luis in her arms “He was very excited for his first flight, you see” 

“I can imagine” Sergio opened the door of his car so they could go in and put Julia’s luggage in the trunk “There’s a baby seat in the back, I figured…” he ran his fingers through his hair “You know, Luis will need one” 

“Thanks” she buckled the belt and caressed Luis’ hair with a soft smile “I honestly can’t wait to see Martín. How is he?” 

“Oh” Sergio smiled widely, getting behind the steering wheel “You would have to ask him that yourself” 

“You’re gonna tell her?” the sunlight was gently kissing their faces as they laid down in Andrés’ huge bed, completely clothed, just embracing and resting. Berlín’s hand was in Martín’s hair, caressing them slowly 

“About the Mint?” Martín looked up to meet Andrés’ gaze and when his friend nodded, he sighed “I’m not sure. You think I should?” 

“It’s your sister” Andrés shrugged, taking a deep breath and kissing Martín’s head “She should know” 

“She would hate me for that, I can’t let that happen” 

“What do you think she will think when she doesn’t hear from you for half a year and then the Mint happens and we won’t be able to contact anybody after that… Think about it, _cariño_ ” 

“How do I even tell her?” 

“Well… Just so” Berlín pulled Martín closer so he could kiss him “Just like that” 

“And if she hates me after?” 

“At least she will know what happened to you” 

“She’s pregnant, Andrés” Palermo felt his throat squeezing “And I promised to be the godfather” 

“You never know what’s going to happen… But you have to tell her” 

“You’re right” Martín kissed Andrés lazily, before sitting up and pushing away the covers 

“What are you doing?” Berlín frowned, pretty confused 

“They’re coming today, hello! I need to get ready!” 

“Martín, _querido_ , it’s 8 in the morning, come on, go back to bed” 

“I won’t, because you somehow will manage to lure me into having sex with you” Palermo giggled, taking off the shirt he slept in and looking for something nice to wear 

“Oh please, we went without it through the whole night, I didn’t do anything” Andrés got out of bed and stood right behind Martín, touching his neck. Martín’s head fell back, landing on Berlín’s arm and a smile appeared on his lips 

“You have to stop seducing me, really” he giggled at the kiss that just landed on his neck “I can only stand so much” 

“Alright, alright” Andrés rolled his eyes, letting go of him and taking a very nice khaki shirt with buttons, handing it to Martín “This one” 

“Thank you, mister” Palermo quickly put it on and smiled at himself in the mirror. He was on a cloud nine, everyday they were closer and closer with Andrés and the only thing missing was the sex part, but Martín was just trying to hold it back as long as possible. They would get handsy with each other, sure, but they managed to sleep in one bed without doing anything and Martín took it as a huge success and a step forward in their relationship. He was glad to relish in the days of peace because soon after Julia’s visit they were about to dive into a very intense days of planning and choosing the members of la banda and then finally, finally… everything would start. 

“You’re ready?” Andrés walked out of the bathroom already dressed with his hair done “We could have some breakfast and go over the special escape plan again before they come? Hm?” 

“That’s a brilliant idea” Martín took Andrés’ hand and they walked to the kitchen together. They were eating scrambled eggs, having coffee and Palermo was teaching Berlín the plan when the kitchen door swung open and Sergio, Julia and Luis appeared in them, Martín’s sister glowing like a star 

“Julia!” Martín let go of the plans and almost ran towards her, lifting her up and hugging tightly. She smelled like coffee and Martín kissed both of her cheeks and placed his hand on her stomach “How are you?” 

“It’s so good to see you! I’m good” she leaned to his ear “So is the baby” 

“Amazing! Hello, Luis!” Palermo took the boy and hugged him, placing his on his hip and immediately taking him to see the rest of the house, completely ignoring the rest of people there but to be honest, nobody blamed him. 

“Andrés” she smiled shyly, looking at the guy in front of her and not knowing if it was okay for her to hug him 

“Julia” Berlín leaned and kissed her cheeks so she carelessly threw her arms on his neck and hugged him “You look gorgeous” 

“Oh, thank you” 

“And congratulations” Andrés smiled widely “Martín told me” 

“What a snitch” she giggled, all flushed “But thanks a lot, I’m so freaking excited!” 

“Wait, what happened?” Sergio was confused 

“Well… I’m pregnant” she said and squeaked when Sergio hugged her almost immediately 

“I’m so happy for you” he said and shook his head “I’ll go take your suitcase” 

“Thank you” Julia watched him walk outside to the car and then brought her gaze back to Andrés “Something you wanna tell me?” 

“Well” Andrés smiled softly “We’re doing perfect” 

“Really?” Julia’s face softened “You did everything the right way? He forgave you?” 

“Yes and yes” 

“I’m so happy” she held his hand and squeezed it “He let you sleep with him?” 

“Sleep, nothing more if you get what I mean” 

“Oh… so you’re on a waiting position” Julia giggled and shook her head “Martín made that rule?” 

“Yeah” 

“Good” she smiled happily “He’s so good with Luis, that’s adorable… I can’t wait for him to meet baby number 2” 

“I can imagine” Andrés didn’t even flinch “Let’s go, I’ll show you the house and then we can catch up outside, it’s beautiful today” 

He showed Julia her and Luis’ bedroom, Sergio already having placed their luggage there, he showed her around and called Martín to the garden 

“Hi” Palermo was smiling, his hair a mess and Luis seemed very happy with whatever they’ve been doing “I showed him the pool, can we get him in later on?” 

“Sure” Julia agreed, booping her son’s nose “Did you have fun, _bebe_?” 

“Here” Martín handed her Luis and wiped his forehead. Andrés immediately wrapped his arm around him and kissed his head, making Martín close his eyes with a soft smile 

“I adore you” Julia pouted, putting her son on the ground and letting him go “You look so good together” 

“Martín looks especially good _on_ me and even better _underneath_ me” Andrés smirked, making Palermo blush heavily 

“Stop it!” 

“Oh please, I bet it’s true” Julia nudged Martín and gripped his shoulder “So when are we going to see some city?” 

“What did you want to talk about?” Julia asked, holding her beer and stretching her legs 

“It’s serious and I need you to listen very carefully” Martín was nervously moving his leg, his breath rapid and shallow 

“Okay” she faced him and leaned forward to listen intently 

“This is a secret and you can tell nobody about it, nobody, hm?” Martín bit his lip and when she nodded, he continued “Alright… This is probably the last time you see me and talk to me for a very long time…” 

“Not again” Julia’s lower lip trembled “Martín, come on. You won’t leave me again” 

Palermo closed his eyes for a moment “Julia, listen to me. We… we’re gonna do something very dangerous” 

“We?” 

“Me, Sergio and Andrés” he whispered, taking her hand “We’re going to do a heist” 

“What? Where?” 

“Royal Mint” 

“Are you fucking stupid?! Martín?! Are you completely crazy?” she got so angry she dropped her beer bottle 

“Julia, listen, we have this all figured out, I…” 

“Martín, shut your mouth!” Julia stood up, crossing her arms “You’re a criminal now?!” 

“Well… it won’t be my first robbery…” 

She scoffed, not believing what she just heard “You’re… joking, right?” 

“No” Martín shrugged “It’s been a lot of them actually… And well, this one will be the biggest so far and we would…” 

“I’m not gonna hear about this” she turned around to hide the tears that started falling 

“Julia…” 

“Leave me alone” 

“Hey” he held her arm but she pulled away and started walking to the back of the monastery, her shoulders shaking. Martín hit the table with his fist and growled angrily, going the other way and absently stumbling to Andrés’ office. Andrés lifted his eyes from some notes and smiled at him softly 

“ _Que pasa_?” 

“This is all your fault!” Martín screamed, completely uncontrollable 

“What?” Berlín stood from his chair, approaching him “What do you mean?” 

“It’s all your fault!” Palermo’s finger dug into Andrés’ chest “Now she doesn’t want to talk to me and it’s because of you! You ruined our relationship and now I’m not even going to see her for so long!” 

“You told her then…” Andrés looked at the finger on his chest and felt familiar blinding anger boiling in his veins. He took a deep breath knowing that he cannot, for the love of God, lose his temper “Martín, please calm down” 

“Calm down!? Because of you everything is ruined! Everything!” he couldn’t stop, he was so damn angry he needed a punching bag and he didn’t consider if choosing Andrés was the best option for that 

“Martín, take a deep breath and...” 

“Fuck off!” he growled and suddenly his wrists were closed in Andrés’ grip. Martín gasped in shock, the first instinct in him to flinch and get scared but... it wasn’t harsh. It was firm but not enough to hurt. Andrés was controlling himself perfectly 

“ _Palermo_ ” he whispered and Martín felt his knees going weak “Calm down” he started caressing his skin, linking their foreheads “ _Tranquilo, cariño_ ” 

Martín brought his eyes to his face and felt himself relax almost immediately. Andrés had so much impact on him it was unbelievable “I’m sorry” 

“It’s alright” Berlín gently let go of his wrists and pulled him for a hug 

“Thank you for... yeah” Martín held his face to kiss him and smiled when Andrés chased him to make it longer “Call me Palermo more often and I might lose it” 

“You should be careful, I don’t think that sex will be an option in the Mint” 

“Of course it will be” Martín’s laugh vibrated against Andrés’ neck “I wanna see anybody trying to stop me” 

“It’s not like it’s impossible to put you in place” 

“You’re the one that’s gonna try?” 

“I did once, remember?” 

_Catania, Sicily, 2012_

_The whole thing was risky and Martín never did something like that before, but tonight was different. Andrés went somewhere without him as they had a fight before about something he couldn’t even remember, and Martín couldn’t care less about what he could think. He was being straddled by a very attractive guy, his back pressed to the couch as they were kissing, quiet moans escaping both of their lips. Martín couldn’t remember whether the guy was named Mateo or Antonio or maybe Roberto and he really didn’t care, because the moment they’re done the guy would be out. Martín got rid of his shirt and allowed the guy to do the same and they linked again, Martín’s head buzzing with all the wine he had earlier. It was fun for two reasons: one, he loved a good fuck and two, he wanted to make Andrés mad by having sex on the couch in the, oh no, living area – he knew Andrés hated that._

_His partner was currently sliding down with his kisses and soon his mouth wrapped around Martín and he let out a loud gasp of pleasure. He loved when guys focused on him, especially when they were so skilled. Not that Martín wasn’t but he was also lazy and preferred getting than giving, at least with one-night stands._

_He was slowly approaching his climax when the door to their apartment swung open and Andrés walked inside, not spotting them at first. Martín smirked and came, making sure his moan was loud enough to be clearly heard in the whole area._

_“What the fuck?!” Andrés was immediately there, his hands on his hips, his face red with fury. He rarely cursed so Martín knew he was pleasantly in trouble, yet he wasn’t hurrying with pushing the guy off of him, he even allowed his whole body to be seen before he covered himself with a shirt “Martín?!”_

_“I’m sorry” Martín ignored him, turning to his partner and kissing him obscenely. He mumbled something about seeing him tomorrow, quickly put his clothes on and stormed through the door. Martín still had a smirk plastered on his face and he very slowly dressed up and looked at Andrés, crossing his arms “I was busy”_

_“Busy?!” Andrés approached him quickly, his nostrils moving as he breathed rapidly “Don’t you have a bedroom in this house? Doesn’t that fuck boy have one?”_

_“We felt like the couch tonight” Martín was drunk and confident, enough to stand up to his friend_

_“Oh yeah?” Andrés grabbed his hair and his face winced in shock when Martín moaned provocatively “What is wrong with you?”_

_“Oh, nothing, you just turn me on” Martín rubbed his body on Andrés’ laughing loudly_

_“You’re disgustingly drunk, Berrote”_

_“This is how I roll when you decide it’s time for a fight”_

_“So you have to rub your naked ass on those marvellous pillows?” Andrés scoffed_

_“You wish you could tap that ass, don’t you?” Martín chuckled but his laugh got stuck in his throat when Andrés pinned him to the nearest wall_

_“If I wanted to tap it, I would” his voice was low “You think I could want that?”_

_“I’m hot, admit it” Martín licked his lips_

_“You’re a whore” Andrés shook his head, keeping him tightly pressed against the wall “We’ve been here for what, two weeks, and you already had four or five partners”_

_“I’m just that handsome”_

_“No, Martín, you’re just that desperate for attention”_

_"No” Martín looked into Andrés’ eyes with a puzzled expression on his face_

_“Yes, you are. You’re an attention seeker and if you’re not getting enough of it, you play a whore”_

_“I just like sex”_

_“You’re neither cute, nor sexy. Believe me, I’m not the one to tap that”_

_“Yet you have all of those bitches...”_

_“Stop immediately if you want us to be on good terms” Andrés warned him and Martín rolled his eyes, saying no more. He was released and he crossed his arms again to show his mood_

_“I hate you sometimes”_

_“Martín” Andrés murmured, standing inches from him “Man up and start acting your age, then maybe your need for attention will be fulfilled by me” with those words he just left to his bedroom, leaving Martín with his eyes wide open._

“I didn’t have any lover for a month or even more after that” Martín giggled, nuzzling Andrés’ neck 

“Yes, and I delivered you, no?” 

“Yes” Palermo just pushed Andrés towards the desk, kissing him deeply “But I prefer how you deliver now” 

“You should talk to Julia” Berlín’s words got lost in between one kiss and another. They just engaged in their little make-out session, being safe and sound in their own bubble of happiness, careless and focused only on each other. It was very delicate and easy to pop so they were trying to be careful witch each other, think before doing and remember about the lines. 

The latter was the hardest in their case 

“I can’t focus when you’re so close” Martín gasped with his lips already swollen “And my patience is running thin” 

Andrés chuckled slowly, embracing him “You’re alright, Martín, just breathe a little and don’t be a brat. You set the rules and so far you’re the one who tends to try breaking them” 

“Forbidden fruit tastes better, especially when you have already tried it” Martín answered, a bit breathless 

“Try to calm down” Berlín was amused and at the same time so, so soft. Martín was endearing and he was falling for him more and more with each day 

“I am perfectly calm” Martín went for another kiss but he was quickly stopped by Andrés’ finger “Excuse me?” 

“That’s about how calm you really are” 

Martin rolled his eyes but then he said softly “You impressed me earlier, when you... when you grabbed me” 

“I promised to never raise a hand on you again, didn’t I?” 

“And I’m very glad you kept your promise” Martín laid his head on Andrés’ chest “What should I tell Julia?” 

“The truth. The whole truth” 

“She didn’t want to listen” 

“She probably needed time to process everything. Try again in the morning, hm?” 

“Yeah, you’re probably right” 

Martín tried one more time when he caught his sister after lunch next day. 

“You have one minute to explain” she crossed her arms and Martín begun. He told her everything starting with Sergio’s father’s plan, through their ideas, he explained what will be happening and finished by pulling out a piece of paper 

“This is for you and I want you to keep it no matter what” 

“Martín, I’m...” Julia was clearly overwhelmed and she just went for a hug, holding her brother tightly and shaking in his arms “I’m scared” 

“What? Why?” Martín held her face 

“Because I just recently got you back and... now I’m about to lose you again and we... we might never see each other again...” she was definitely close to crying 

“No!” Martín took her hands “No, Julia. I’m going out along with Andrés, no matter what. And then I’m going to hide wherever we find safety. And then... then you’re gonna get a message from me” he pointed at the paper “Here’s a list of one hundred songs we both like. Now listen carefully. The code will be this: two numbers equal one letter, the first number is the number of the song, the second number is the letter in this song. I will send you my coordinates and you can come and see me and Andrés, okay? I have this all figured out, don’t worry, please, it’s bad for the baby” 

“I... I see you have this all figured out but... Martín, I... I can’t let you do this...” 

“You don’t get to decide for me, I’m sorry. I decide for myself, you taught me that yourself” Martín nodded, his voice serious “I’ll be fine” 

“I want you to be the godfather...” 

“And I will be. I promised, no?” he smiled and wiped the tears from Julia’s face 

He also wiped the tears from her face couple of days later when they were saying goodbye on the airport. Martín knew that even with his perfect escape plan everything can go to hell and there was a possibility of him dying, so that could be the last time they see each other. He didn’t like that thought at all “I love you, Julia. I promise I’ll call if I can but then if I won’t... you for sure will see me on tv” he giggled but Julia just shook her head and hugged him tightly. When she moved to hug Andrés, she whispered into his ear 

“Please, bring him back alive... and you also have to come back, I don’t wanna hear about any of you dying there, hm? Understood?” 

“Of course. Remember, do not tell anything to the police if they ever reach to you because we’ll be screwed” 

“I would never. Goodbye, Andrés” she touched his face “I also think my brother’s ready” 

“Ready for... what?” 

“Something more than kissing” Julia winked, taking Luis' hand and kissing Sergio’s cheek. She was waving for a long time, turning around as she walked, visibly crying. Suddenly Martín made a very spontaneous decision and ran after her, holding her arm. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand, sending him a questioning look 

“Julia, please... call our father and tell him that... I forgive him, okay?” Martín was in pieces, almost crying “Not yet, but in two weeks... call him and tell him that he should be damn proud of me and that I forgive him and... that he missed out a lot” 

Julia nodded, caressing her brother’s arm “He did miss out a lot, Martín” she kissed his cheek and resumed walking towards the gate, sending him an air kiss on her way. Luis was waving his little hand before saying something to Julie that made her smile widely. Martín was watching them with his heart clenching, knowing that even if everything goes well he wouldn’t see them for a year or even more, he wouldn’t be able to call them or write to them... He felt like he lost a piece of himself and he was about to fall apart but then strong, warm arms were around him and he felt kisses being pressed to his head and he felt safe. Whole. He felt like he belonged. 

“I love you Andrés, you know?” he whispered, sniffling quietly 

“I love you too. You’ll see them very soon, you’ll see” Andrés grabbed his hand and gently pulled him towards the exit where Sergio already waited “You said yourself, that plan is perfect. We’ll get out” 

Martín found very touching that Andrés chose such special place for their date that evening. He still felt sad after his family leaving but then with Andrés, the blanket on the grass and the basket with food and wine he stopped thinking about it. The night was warm and beautiful, the stars visible and Andrés looked his best in dark purple shirt, slightly unbuttoned probably only to distract Martín all the time. They were in the back of the monastery, in Martín’s favorite place, and he already knew that he won’t forget this night till the day he dies. 

“Is that a date?” he asked softly, tilting his head slightly to the side 

“Would you like some wine?” Andrés changed the subject but judging by his smile it was, indeed, a date. Their first, real date 

“Of course” he watched the two glasses getting filled and then checked curiously what was in the basket 

“Keep your hands off of there” Andrés playfully hit his hand and opened the container, pulling out a bowl with strawberries in chocolate. Martín loved them and they both knew that Andrés was aware of it 

“You don’t need to do this, you already won me” Palermo joked, leaning to kiss Andrés’ cheek 

“I still need to keep you” he joked back, handing Martín the glass “To us and to the most perfect escape plan the world has ever seen” 

“Cheers” their glasses clanked and they both sipped from them, smiling at the choice of wine “Wow, it’s really good, Andrés” 

“Especially for you, _cariño_ ” then they simply got silent, enjoying the fruit and the wine, sitting close to each other so their arms touched 

“Have you ever thought we would end up like this?” Martín asked after a long time when their glasses were empty, and the strawberries were only a memory 

“Like what?” 

“In love” Martín turned his head to look at him 

“No” Andrés shook his head “Honestly, I haven’t. I thought about making you my lover a lot of times but I never decided on doing it” 

“Am I your lover now?” 

Berlín smiled gently “You’re my partner, Martín. My best friend. My lover. You’re everything and more” 

“You’re getting soft, not good for the heist” Martín’s lips quivered in a soft smile 

“Only for you, you see, I just have this soft spot” 

“Don’ lose it when you’ll be bossing me around” 

“Don’t try to tell me you don’t like it” they both leaned forward so their lips met halfway, both of them gasping. The kiss was lazy, deep and very, very long and Martín immediately knew that this was the moment he was waiting for. This, here and now and nowhere else 

“Lay down” he whispered, kissing Andrés’ neck and jaw. 

“What’s on your mind, mi amor?” Berlín did as he was told and smiled when Martín hovered above him and nuzzled their noses together 

“Well, first of all, I love you with my whole heart” Martín whispered, slowly undoing Andrés’ shirt 

“Mhm, and second of all?” 

“And second of all I want you to make love to me” he kissed Andrés’ bare chest and then his lips, opening up so their tongues danced 

“You’re sure?” Berlín was already stripping Martín from his shirt with his eyes glistening 

“Yes, I’m sure” 

“Well then, _cariño_ ” they rolled over so Martín was laying on his back and started kissing, getting rid of every piece of their wardrobe. The warm air was nice against their bare skin and the sound of their lips clashing spiced things up 

Martín’s head tilted back and he let out a moan when Andrés’ teeth sunk into his neck “Yeah... Come on, I’m impatient” he pulled him down so their hips were joined “That’s better...” 

“You’re needy, Berrote” Berlín moved his hips gently, eliciting another loud moan from his partner “That’s good though” 

“Andrés, please" Martín grabbed his neck and bit his lower lip wanting to already have Andrés inside “You know what I like, use it no...oh...now...” he gasped when he felt Berlín’s finger opening him up. His head fell back and his eyes closed as a wave of pleasure went through him “Oh God...” 

“Not God, just me” Andrés smirked, adding another finger and observing as Martín loses it. He looked beautiful, especially with all the grass around him and the color of the blanket 

“Yes... Yes, I...” Martín almost choked when his orgasm hit him all of a sudden. Andrés was totally, completely giving and he couldn’t even breathe “Oh wow...” 

“You’re so beautiful when you come” a deep kiss kept Martín quiet for another couple seconds before their bodies united accompanied by loud moans of pleasure “ _Palermo_..." 

“I love that... so much... _Berlín_ ” Martín wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer, their whole bodies touching. Their hips were making circling moves almost in unison and they fit like two apple halves 

“Wait... and watch Sergio come and ruin this for us” suddenly Andrés laughed and gasped after particularly good move 

“I wouldn’t stop even if he appeared” Martín sped up, feeling another climax approaching very, very fast “I’ve... ah... never made love outside like this” 

“That means I’m special... _cariño_ , like that...” 

“Of course you are, you are...” he didn’t get to finish because both of them came in the exact same moment and didn’t care about the loud moans, or maybe even screaming, coming out of their mouths. 

“I’m what?” Andrés asked when they laid in each others’ arm, spent and happy 

“You’re the love of my life” Martín whispered, looking him in the eyes 

“What are you saying?” Berlín’s face softened “Palermo, hey” 

“Mr. Berlín, you’re the love of my life” a smile appeared on Palermo’s face and Andrés had no other choice than to kiss him so he didn’t see the tears that appeared in his eyes. Martín still felt them on his lips 

“I... You’re the love of my life too, I guess” he answered awkwardly, pretty confused with emotions still 

“’I guess’ is enough for me” Martín giggled, looking for his shirt “Come on, let’s go another round in bed this time, hm?” 

As they laid together naked with the sun getting up, Martín brought his eyes upon Andrés and whispered “This is all going to end when we start our bootcamp for the heist, no?” 

“You’re really going to follow Sergio’s rule on it?” Andrés snorted quietly, his eyes tired and his kiss soft and gentle on Martín’s head 

“Nah” they both giggled, embracing tighter and watching the sunrise 

“We’re going to be freaking Bonnie and Clyde, Martín, and nobody will stop us. Nobody. Not even death”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my gosh we made it!


End file.
